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To  Aid  You  to  Examine  "Otto's  Commercial  English" 


1.  This  course  is  designed  particularly  for  those  students  having  a  tuork 
r  foundation  of  High  School  English. 

2.  See  hou>  easily  the  approach  to  the  neu>  subject  is  made  by  buildinc 
old  familiar  ground— literary  English.     The  unknoum  is  defined  in  terms  o 

!  knoum— a  principle  that  marks  the  book  as  pedagogically  sound. 

3.  Glance  over  the  numerous  forms  and  illustrations  (pages  20-25,  33 
) .     Note  hou>  varied,  up-to-date,  and  practical  they  are. 

4.  Follow  the  careful  arrangement  of  the  types  of  letters— observing  tha 
ers  of  recommendation  and  application  are  left  till  last  that  they  may  be  fresr 
:he  student's  mind  in  case  he  goes  from  school  to  find  a  position. 

5.  Read  over  the  assignments  (pages  48-50, 61-63,  for  example) .  Don'l 
i  think  they  ivould  inspire  resourcefulness,  originality,  and  initiative? 

6.  Give  some  time  to  the  consideration  of  the  tuay  in  tuhich  elementary 
ertising  is  presented.  Real,  practical,  definite  training  in  advertising  funda- 
itals  is  given.     No  generalizations,  but  specific  illustrations  and  information. 

7.  Last— a  new  feature  in  commercial  English— the  position  of  the  rules 
grammar  and  punctuation.  Nor  at  the  first,  so  that  commercial  English 
rs  its  freshness  and  interest  before  the  course  is  well  started— but  at  the  last, 
are  the  rules  may  be  studied  and  referred  to  when  the  students  personally 
reciate  and  realize  their  value. 

ODYEAR-MARSHALL  PUBLISHING  CO.       ::       Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/commercialenglisOOottorich 


Commercial  English 


FOR 


SECONDARY  SCHOOLS 


BY 


WM.  N.  OTTO,  A.M.  (Harvard) 

Head  of  the  Department  of  English 

Shortridge  High  School 

Indianapolis,  Ind. 


Goodycar-Mar»hall  Publishing  Company- 
Cedar  Rapid*.  Iowa 
1918 


COPYRIGHT  IN  1918 

BY 

GOODYEAR-MARSHALL  PUBLISHING  CO. 


0$ 


ed-jc. 

LIBRARY 


PREFACE 

This  course  in  commercial  English  has  been  prepared 
primarily  for  use  in  secondary  schools.  The  material  con- 
tained in  the  book  and  the  method  of  treatment  are  the  out- 
growth of  the  author's  ten  years  experience  in  developing  a 
course  in  the  subject  in  Shortridge  High  School.  Practically 
all  the  work  has  been  tested  out  in  the  class-room,  so  as  to 
ascertain  the  best  methods  of  presenting  it  to  the  student.  A 
careful  study  has  also  been  made  of  the  forms  used  by  busi- 
ness firms  with  a  national  reputation,  so  that  those  given  as 
models  in  this  book  may  be  regarded  as  conforming  to  the  best 
present-day  usage. 

Correspondence  with  representative  business  firms  made  it 
clear  to  the  author  that  what  business  men  are  expecting  of 
the  high  school  graduates  who  enter  their  offices  is  a  thorough 
and  usable  knowledge  of  good  English.  This  is  to  be  regarded 
as  far  more  important  than  mere  matters  of  form,  for  it  is 
often  necessary  for  beginners  to  learn  new  forms  to  meet  the 
preference  of  a  particular  firm. 

The  plan  of  the  book  is  so  simple  that  little  explanation  is 
necessary.  The  opening  chapter  defines  commercial  English 
and  distinguishes  it  from  literary  English,  with  which  the 
pupil  is  already  familiar.  The  essentials  of  business  composi- 
tion and  the  form  of  the  business  letter  follow  and  lead  to  the 
application  of  these  principles  to  the  different  kinds  of  busi- 
letters  and  to  telegrams,  cablegrams,  and  elementary  ad- 
vertising. Reference  chapters  on  spelling,  punctuation,  and 
grammar  have  been  added  and  may  be  used  or  omitted,  as  the 
teacher  thinks  best. 

The  model  letters  have  been  taken,  for  the  most  part,  from 

iii 

462230 


IV  PREFACE 

actual  correspondence  and  are  photographic  reproductions, 
showing  true  proportions.  Frequent  explanations  are  given 
of  the  principles  in  these  models,  in  order  to  discourage  blind 
imitation.  Furthermore,  many  of  the  exercises  have  been  de- 
signed to  teach  the  student  to  grasp  the  business  situation  and 
express  himself  as  the  occasion  demands.  With  this  end  in 
view,  the  author  has  made  a  frequent  use  of  situations  that  the 
student  can  easily  enter  into,  many  of  them  being  related  to 
his  own  school  life. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  course,  the  author  has  spent 
many  profitable  hours  in  correspondence  and  conversation 
with  business  men  and  advertising  experts.  Their  assistance 
has  been  invaluable  and  is  gratefully  acknowledged.  The 
author  also  wishes  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  courtesy 
of  those  who  so  willingly  furnished  illustrative  material  for 
the  book. 


CONTENTS 
Chapter                                                                               Page 
I.     Essentials   of  Commercial  English 1 

II.  The  Form  of  the  Business  Letter 16 

III.  Letters  of  Inquiry  and  Information 40 

IV.     Letters  Ordering  Goods    51 

V.     Letters  Pertaining  to  the  Settlement  of  Accounts . .   64 

V  T.     Circular   Letters    74 

VII.     Letters  of  Application    95 

VIII.     Letters  of  Recommendation   106 

IX.     Letters  of  Introduction   110 

X.     Telegrams  and  Cablegrams    117 

XI.  How  Correspondence  is  Handled  in  a  Business  Office. 124 

XII.  Elementary  Advertising    129 

XIII.  Word  Study   (Reference  Material) 167 

XIV.  The  Use  of  Capital  Letters  and  Punctuation  Marks 
(Reference  Material )    192 

XV.     Troublesome    Points   in   English   Grammar    (Ref- 

ence  Material)    201 

Index    211 


PRELIMINARY  SUGGESTIONS  FOR 
THE  STUDENT 

Before  taking  up  the  subject  of  commercial  English,  you 
should  realize  that  your  success  will  depend,  largely,  upon  the 
use  of  right  methods  in  the  preparation  of  the  daily  assign- 
ment. You  have  no  reason  to  expect  results  unless  you  use 
methods  that  are  likely  to  produce  results.  If  you  have  never 
gone  about  your  work  in  a  systematic  and  businesslike  way, 
you  should  now  start  to  acquire  these  habits,  as  they  are  inti- 
mately associated  with  the  best  results  to  be  obtained  from  the 
study  of  tliis  subject.  The  following  suggestions  may  be  help- 
ful to  you,  if  you  have  no  study  plan  of  your  own; 

1.  Make  a  definite  preparation  for  each  day's  recitation.  If  for 
any  food  reason  yon  are  unable  to  do  so,  inform  the  teacher 
before  the  recitation  begins  and  arrange  to  make  up  the  work. 

2.  Have  a  regular  daily  program.  This  should  include  a  definite 
time  and  place  for  the  study  of  the  lesson. 

.1.  I'..'  sure  (hat  you  understand  the  assignment.  This  means  not 
only  the  number  of  pages  or  topics,  but  also  a  clear  idea  of 
what  the  teacher  requires.  If  in  doubt,  ask  questions  at  the 
time  the  assignment  is  made. 

4.  Provide  all  necessary  materials  and  equipment  in  ample  time. 
This  includes  text  book,  writing  material,  etc. 

5.  Make  a  proi*?r  use  of  books.  In  looking  up  a  topic,  always 
refer  to  the  index. 

C.  Do  not  abuse  books.  Library  books,  especially,  should  be 
bundled  with  clean  hands.  Do  not  underline  words  or  make 
marginal  notes  in  them.  Such  vandalism  as  cutting  out  pic- 
tures or  pages  ta  worthy  <>f  contempt 

7.  Study  alone.  If  y<m  Study  with  anyone  else  at  all,  be  sure 
that   it    is  mutually  profitable  to  do  so. 

8.  Review  frequently. 

vii 


Mil  PBELIMINAKY   SUGGESTION'S 

It  is  intended  by  the  autlior  that  special  emphasis  be 
placed  upon  the  oral  work  as  a  means  of  acquiring  ability  in 
commercial  English.  Accordingly,  provision  has  been  made 
for  frequent  oral  exercises,  but  the  most  important  work  to  be 
done  in  oral  English  is  to  be  found  in  the  daily  recitation.  For 
its  improvement,  the  following  suggestions  are  offered: 

1.  Stand  erect,  on  both  feet,  and  free  from  the  desks. 

2.  Talk  to  someone — the  class  or  the  teacher,  as  the  latter  prefers. 

3.  Speak  loud  enough  and  clear  enough  to  be  heard  and  under- 
stood by  all. 

4.  Do  not  begin  to  recite  until  you  have  had  time  to  think. 

5.  Do  not  begin  to  recite  until  you  understand  the  meaning  of  the 
question. 

6.  Match  your  answer  to  the  question  asked. 

7.  If  the  question  permits,  recite  in  topical  form. 

8.  Always  answer  in  complete  sentence  form. 

9.  Use  simple,  direct,  forceful,  and  correct  English, 
10.     Profit  by  class  criticism  upon  your  recitation. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

CHAPTER  I 

ESSENTIALS  OF  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

Commercial  English  Defined.  There  are,  in  reality,  only 
two  kinds  of  English — "good"  English  and  "bad"  English. 
Commercial  English  is  "good"  English  applied  to  the  uses  of 
business,  especially  to  the  buying  and  selling  of  the  necessities 
of  life.  Business  finds  its  opportunity  in  supplying  the  human 
need  of  food,  fuel,  shelter,  and  clothing.  It  deals  largely  with 
material  objects  that  appeal  to  the  sense  of  the  practical.  It 
holds  a  serious  interest,  because  it  concerns  the  expenditure  of 
money,  which  is  the  compensation  of  labor.  It  is  a  distinct 
phase  of  life  and  has  a  language  of  its  own.  This  is  called 
commercial  or  business  English.  "While  the  two.  terms  are  com- 
monly used  interchangeably,  there  is  a  slight  distinction  in 
that  "commercial"  refers  more  especially  to  the  exchange  of 
commodities,  and  may,  therefore,  be  given  preference. 

A  Mistaken  Idea.     If  your  teacher  were  to  ask  you,  on  the 

first  day,  to  write  a  business  letter,  unless  you  have  had  some 

previous  training,  you  would  encounter  two  kinds  of  difficulty. 

You  wrould  find  that  you  know  little  about  the  form  of  a  busi- 

letter  and  even  less  about  the  language  of  business. 

You  may  have  the  idea  that  commercial  English  means  a 
kind  of  language  that  is  pointed  and  brief,  because  you  think 
of  business  as  bustle  and  haste.  Perhaps  there  has  been  a 
time  when  such  an  opinion  would  have  been  justified,  but  it  is 
not  the  present.  If  you  were  to  go  into  the  office  of  one  of  our 
large,  representative  business  firms,  such  as  Marshall  Field  & 


a  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Company,  of  Chicago,  you  would  find  that  business  is  being 
taken  care  of  in  a  quiet,  efficient  manner,  quite  opposed  to 
"slam  and  bang"  methods.  This  is  the  modern  spirit  of  busi- 
ness— of  courtesy,  service,  and  accommodation.  It  is  an  atti- 
tude that  is  both  logical  and  necessary,  because,  in  these  days 
of  keen  competition,  a  business  firm  cannot  afford  to  create  an 
impression  that  it  is  so  rushed  with  business  that  it  is  not  pre- 
pared to  take  care  of  more. 

The  language  of  business  has  undergone  a  similar  change. 
The  modern  type  of  business  man  does  not  begin  his  letters 

with,  "Your  letter  of  the  inst.  was  duly  received  and 

contents  noted  and  in  reply  we  beg  to  state  that,  etc."  II e 
puts  the  force  of  his  personality  into  the  opening  words  and 
talks  directly  to  his  correspondent.  He  also  avoids  all  such 
expressions  as  "Yours  reed.,"  "gents,"  etc.,  because  they 
imply  haste  and  bluntness  and  a  consequent  lack  of  courtesy. 

The  use  of  business  abbreviations  is  also  on  the  decline.  As 
an  illustration  of  the  present  tendency,  it  may  be  stated  that 
one  of  the  largest  corporations  in  the  country  sent  out  orders 
to  all  its  offices  to  spell  out  the  word  "Company,"  instead  of 
writing  it  "Co."  This  action  arose  from  a  feeling  that  such  a 
practice  would  be  more  dignified  and,  hence,  more  in  keeping 
with  the  importance  of  the  corporation. 

TESTS  OF  COMMERCIAL  ENCI.ISII 

Correctness.  The  first  test  to  be  applied  to  commercial 
English,  as  to  all  "good"  English,  is  the  test  of  correctness. 
This  test  demands  that  it  shall  conform  to  the  recognized 
standards  of  grammar,  spelling,  and  punctuation. 

The  importance  of  grammatical  correctness  cannot  be  over- 
estimated, since  "bad  grammar"  is  a  badge  of  illiteracy.     The 

high  school  graduate  who  says,  "everyone their," 

"of  him  doing  it,"  "who  to  give  it  to,"  etc.,  will  be  of  little 
value  in  a  business  office,  however  much  he  may  know  about 
form.     No  matter  how  attractive  the  stationery  may  be  or  how 


ESSENTIALS  3 

neatly  the  letter  may  be  typewritten,  two  or  three  slips  in 
grammar,  or  even  one,  will  stand  out  like  bad  strokes  on  an 
oil  painting.  Bad  grammar  in  reports,  circulars,  catalogs,  let- 
ters, or  advertisements  is  like  bad  manners  in  a  person.  The 
more  you  dress  him  up,  the  more  he  shows  off  at  a  disadvan- 
tage. It  is  assumed  that  the  pupil  who  is  prepared  to  take  this 
course  has  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  English  gram- 
mar and  is  able  to  apply  them  in  his  writing.  There  will  still 
be,  of  course,  troublesome  points.  Most  of  these  have  been 
treated  in  Chapter  XV. 

While  mistakes  in  spelling  may  be  somewhat  less  serious 
than  errors  in  grammar,  they  should  be  studiously  avoided. 
The  fact  that  they  appear  in  print  or  in  typewritten  form 
makes  them  more  offensive  to  those  who  know  what  good 
English  is.  Even  one  misspelled  word  in  a  letter  of  application 
may  cause  the  applicant  to  be  dropped  from  consideration. 
I  Jut  some  of  the  boys  who  expect  to  become  business  or  pro- 
fessional men  may  think  that  it  is  not  so  important  for  them 
to  learn  to  spell,  because  they  will  have  stenographers  to  write 
(heir  Letters  far  them,  but  they  should  remember  that  they  will 
have  to  dictate  their  letters  to  their  stenographers  and  if  they 
themselves  do  not  know  how  to  spell,  how  are  they  to  judge  of 
the  stenographer's  ability  when  she  hands  the  letters  over  to 
them  for  criticism?  Every  student  will  find  in  his  vocabulary 
certain  words  that  he  constantly  misspells  —  words  like 
1  'development,"  and  "parallel."  It  will  take  but  little  effort 
to  master  these  words  and  it  is  decidedly  worth  while  to  do  so. 

Pimct nation  frequently  becomes  a  practical  necessity  in 
eommereia]  English,  in  order  to  secure  clearness.  A  thorough 
knowledge  of  grammar  is  almost  a  prerequisite,  especially  in 
th»-  ease  of  the  comma.  Often  a  simple  problem  involves  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  punctuation.  For  instance,  if  you  are 
called  upon  to  write  a  classified  advertisement  for  the  daily 
paper,  you  may  find  that  the  condensed  form  in  which  you 
wish  to  write  it  requires  an  exact  knowledge  of  the  uses  of  the 


4  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

comma  and  semicolon.     This  may  be  developed  by  the  study  of 
Chapter  XIV. 

Fitness  for  the  Occasion.  A  second  test  of  commercial 
English,  as  of  all  good  English,  is  its  fitness  for  the  occasion. 
As  an  illustration  of  this  point,  suppose  that  a  professor  of 
economics  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  arbitration  of  dis- 
putes between  capital  and  organized  labor.  If  he  is  to  deliver 
an  address  on  the  subject  before  an  association  of  college 
teachers  of  economics  he  will  use  one  kind  of  language.  If  he 
is  to  deliver  an  address  before  a  convention  of  coal  miners,  he 
will  use  an  entirely  different  kind  of  language.  If  he  were  to 
talk  before  a  political  gathering,  he  would  use  language  that 
would  appeal  to  all  degrees  of  intelligence.  If  he  were  to  put 
his  knowledge  of  the  subject  into  a  book,  it  would  require  a 
more  formal  and  dignified  style.  Finally,  in  correspondence 
with  his  publishers  about  the  book,  he  would  use  language 
quite  different  from  all  of  the  types  just  mentioned.  This 
would  be  what  is  termed  "business"  or  "commercial ".English. 
In  every  case,  his  English  would  be  ' '  good, "  if  it  were  suited  to 
the  occasion,  and  "bad"  if  it  were  not.  Still,  no  matter  how 
ill  it  might  be  suited  to  the  occasion,  it  would  not  necessarily 
be  incorrect.  Commercial  English,  therefore,  like  all  good 
English,  must  justify  itself  in  its  fitness  for  the  occasion. 

COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH    STYLE 

The  Beginner's  Problem.  If  he  is  seriously  interested  in 
developing  a  commercial  English  style  that  will  fit  the  occasion 
exactly,  the  beginner  will  not  be  content  with  the  mere  imita- 
tion of  models  or  the  accumulation  of  stereotyped  phrases.  I  !• 
will  try,  first  of  all,  to  sense  the  situation.  This  is  accom- 
plished by  noting  all  of  the  facts  in  the  case  until  the  whole 
seems  clear  and  real.  Expertness  must  come,  ultimately,  from 
long  experience  in  the  business  office,  but  much  skill  may  be 
acquired  in  a  comparatively  short  time  by  constant  application. 

The  second  step  in  the  process  is  to  express  these  ideas  in 


ESSENTIALS  5 

such  simple,  direct,  and  pleasing  language  as  to  make  the 
appeal  that  the  occasion  demands.  To  be  able  to  do  this,  will 
require  long  and  patient  practice. 

COMMERCIAL     ENGLISH     DISTINGUISHED     FROM     LITERARY    ENGLISH 

Literary  English.  Up  to  the  present  time,  your  conception 
of  good  English  has  been  formed  very  largely  from  the  study 
of  English  and  American  authors.  In  Irving,  Hawthorne, 
Scott,  Stevenson,  and  other  authors  of  like  reputation,  you 
have  found  the  best  models  of  English  prose.  You  have  be- 
come familiar  with  English  of  a  quality  that  is  able  to  stand 
the  test  of  time.  Were  it  not  that  commercial  English  is  able 
to  meet  the  important  test  of  fitness  for  the  occasion,  you  might 
think  it  inferior.  It  is  essential  that  you  should  recognize 
from  the  beginning  that  it  is  different. 

As  a  typical  example  of  literary  English  at  its  best,  we  may 
take  a  part  of  the  first  paragraph  of  Irving 's  "  Stratf ord-on- 
Avon,"  from  "The  Sketch  Book."     It  reads  as  follows: 

"To  a  homeless  man,  who  has  no  spot  on  this  wide  world  which  he 
can  truly  call  his  own,  there  is  a  momentary  feeling  of  something  like 
independence  and  territorial  consequence  when,  after  a  weary  day's 
travel,  he  kicks  off  his  boots,  thrusts  his  feet  into  slippers,  and 
stretches  himself  before  an  inn  fire.  Let  the  world  without  go  as  it 
may ;  let  kingdoms  rise  or  fall,  so  long  as  he  has  the  wherewithal  to 
pay  bifl  I. ill,  he  is,  for  the  time  being,  the  very  monarch  of  all  he  sur- 
\  •  \  -.  The  armchair  is  his  throne,  the  poker  his  sceptre,  and  the  parlor, 
some  twelve  feet  square,  his  undisputed  empire.  It  is  a  morsel  of  cer- 
tainty, snatched  from  the  uncertainties  of  life;  it  is  a  sunny  moment 
gleaming  out  kindly  on  a  cloudy  day:  and  he  who  has  advanced  some 
way  on  the  pilgrimage  of  existence,  knows  the  importance  of  husband- 
ing even  morsels  and  moments  of  enjoyment." 

Commercial  English.  As  a  striking  contrast  to  the  quota- 
f  ion  of  literary  English  just  given,  we  may  take  as  an  example 
of  the  plainest,  most  matter-of-fact  commercial  English,  the 


6  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

following  classified   advertisement  thai   appeared  in  a   daily 
newspaper : 

"  124- ACRE  BARGAIN 
HENDRICKS  COUNTY 

124  acres,  Hendricks  county;  one  of  the  best  lying 
farms  in  the  county ;  finely  improved ;  large  house,  with 
bath  and  furnace;  large  barn,  50x50;  also  large  stock 
barn ;  one  mile  from  courthouse  of  Danville,  Ind.,  and 
twenty  rods  from  traction  stop ;  well  watered ;  about 
100  acres  being  cultivated ;  makes  fine  bluegrass  land ; 
can  be  had  for  $155  per  acre,  if  sold  at  once." 

The  Difference.  A  few  of  the  most  striking  points  of  dif- 
ference between  the  two  examples  may  be  stated  as  follows: 

1.  Commercial  English  expresses  mercantile  values.  Lit- 
erary English  expresses  aesthetic  or  art  values. 

2.  The  one  appeals  to  our  sense  of  the  practical ;  the  other, 
to  our  sense  of  the  beautiful. 

3.  The  vocabulary  of  commercial  English  is  more  simple 
and  less  expressive  of  the  personality  of  the  author.  The 
words  chosen  appeal  to  the  reason  and  judgment  rather  than 
to  the  emotions.  In  nearly  every  passage  of  literary  English, 
there  are  words  and  phrases  that  are  peculiar  to  the  author, 
that  give  it  its  distinctly  literary  flavor,  and  put  upon  it  the 
stamp  of  originality  and  genius.  The  following  words  and 
expressions  are  especially  noteworthy  in  the  passage  quoted 
from  Irving :  • 

a  momentary  feeling  empire 

territorial  consequence  morsel  of  certainty 

the  wherewithal  to  pay  his  bill  uncertainties  of  life 

monarch  of  all  he  surveys  sunny  moment  gleaming 

armchair  pilgrimage  of  existence 

throne  husbanding 

poker  morsels 

sceptre  enjoyment 

parlor 


ESSENTIALS  7 

Caution.  The  student  must  not  feel  that  the  difference 
between  literary  English  and  commercial  English  is  always  as 
striking  as  it  is  in  these  two  examples.  There  are  times  and 
occasions  when  commercial  English  is  so  expressive  of  person- 
ality and  originality  that  it  approaches  very  closely  literary 
English.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  tendency  of  business 
men  to  express  themselves  in  their  own  way  in  business  letters 
is  increasing.  This  makes  commercial  English  very  much  like 
literary  English,  especially  if  the  business  man  has  had  a  broad 
and  liberal  education  in  good  literature  and  continues  to  read 
the  best  current  books  and  periodicals. 

As  an  illustration  of  commercial  English  that  approaches 
literary  English,  we  may  quote  the  following  foreword  to  an 
artistic  booklet  that  was  sent  out  by  a  large  table  china  manu- 
facturing establishment : 

"China  is  an  evolution  of  one  of  the  earliest  manifestations  of 
civilization.  It  is  found  in  every  household.  Where  doesnt  come  from? 
What  materials  are  used?  These  questions  occur  to  many.  Few  are 
able  to  answer  them. 

"This  book  tells  how  china  is  made  in  the  greatest  pottery  in  the 
world.  It  sketches  the  phenomenal  growth  of  an  American  institution, 
gtvefl  a  glimpse  of  the  ideals  which  inspire  its  management,  and  offers 
helpful  suggestions  on  the  selection  and  care  of  china." 

Till-:   PRINCIPLES  OP  RHETORIC  APPLIED  TO  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

Unity.  The  principle  of  unity  applies  to  the  sentence,  the 
paragraph,  and  the  whole  composition. 

A  sentence  has  unity  if  all  of  its  component  parts  contribute 
to  the  expression  of  one,  and  only  one,  complete  thought.  In 
business  composition,  and  especially  in  the  business  letter,  the 
sentence  structure  is  more  simple  than  in  literary  composition. 
Periodic  or  balanced  structure  is  seldom  used.  Loose  struc- 
ture, of  the  direct  conversational  style,  predominates.  Instead 
of  the  compound  sentence,  with  clauses  separated  by  the  comma 
or  semicolon,  two  or  more  short  sentences  are  frequently  used. 


8  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Likewise,  what  would  be  expressed  by  a  descriptive  clause  in 
literary  English,  is  expressed  in  a  separate  sentence  in  com- 
mercial English. 

A  paragraph  has  unity  if  all  of  the  sentences  contribute  to 
the  development  of  one  topic.  This  topic  may  be  expressed  or 
implied.  A  paragraph  that  has  perfect  unity  may  be  repre- 
sented by  the  figure  1.  Paragraphs  that  contain  more  than  one 
complete  thought  may  be  represented  by  the  figures  2,  3,  etc. 
If  the  paragraph  contains  less  than  the  complete  development 
of  the  topic,  it  may  be  represented  by  a  fraction;  such  as, 
%>  %>  y%i  etc,  depending  upon  the  extent  to  which  the  para- 
graph is  incomplete.  This  is  sometimes  called  "the  fractional 
paragraph  fault." 

In  business  composition,  especially  in  the  business  letter,  the 
paragraph,  like  the  sentence,  is  constructed  on  a  smaller  scale. 
In  some  cases,  such  paragraph  structure  might  seem  to  be 
guilty  of  "the  fractional  paragraph  fault,"  especially  when 
looked  at  ffom  the  point  of  view  of  literary  composition.  It 
finds  its  justification,  however,  in  the  additional  emphasis  given 
to  important  points.  Often  a  single  sentence  is  paragraphed 
for  this  purpose. 

The  whole  composition  has  unity  if  every  paragraph  con- 
tributes to  the  development  of  a  single  theme.  Here  again, 
literary  composition  and  business  composition  are  different.  A 
well  written  letter  frequently  contains  matters  of  a  widely  dif- 
ferent character,  which  are  brought  together  for  no  other 
reason  than  the  writer's  interest  in  them  at  the  time  of  writing. 
For  instance,  a  business  man  would  not  hesitate  to  include,  in 
the  same  letter,  a  reference  to  an  enclosure  to  cover  an  invoice, 
a  request  for  samples  and  prices,  and  a  demand  for  more  liberal 
terms. 

Coherence.  The  principle  of  coherence,  like  the  principle 
of  unity,  applies  to  the  sentence,  the  paragraph,  and  the  whole 
composition. 

A  sentence   has   coherence   if   all   the   words,   phrases,   or 


ESSENTIALS  !) 

clauses  are  so  placed  as  to  make  their  grammatical  relation 
absolutely  clear. 

A  paragraph  has  coherence  if  each  sentence — after  the  first 
— coincides  with  the  successive  steps  in  the  logical  develop- 
ment of  the  topic.  A  paragraph  that  has  perfect  coherence 
may  be  represented  by  the  series  of  figures  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  etc., 
or  by  the  series  of  letters  a,  b,  c,  d,  e,  f,  g,  etc. 

Coherence  in  the  paragraph  is  secured,  primarily,  by  the 
logical  arrangement  of  the  sentences.  The  exact  relation  of 
sentence  to  sentence  may  be  indicated  by  connectives  or  intro- 
ductory phrases;  such  as,  "furthermore,"  "meanwhile,"  "on 
the  other  hand,"  etc.  This  device  is  used  rather  sparingly  in 
business  composition  because  it  tends  to  lose  the  emphasis 
that  may  be  given  to  the  sentence  by  making  it  stand  out 
sharply  when  it  is  important. 

The  whole  composition  has  coherence  if  the  paragraphs  are 
arranged  in  an  order  that  corresponds  to  the  logical  develop- 
ment of  the  theme,  and  if  the  transition  from  topic  to  topic  is 
sufficiently  easy  to  preserve  the  continuity  of  the  development. 

Emphasis.  Emphasis  is  one  of  the  most  important  rhe- 
torical essentials  of  commercial  English.  It  is  secured  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  of  which  the  following  are  the  most 
important  : 

1.  By    paragraphing    a    sentence    when   .the    thought    is    of    great 

Importance: 

2.  By  condensation    in    the   sentence.     Words  are  used  instead  of 
phrases,  and  phrases,  instead  of  clauses. 

:;.     Bj  the  frequent  use  of  the  short  sentence. 
i.    By  the  use  of  direct,  conversational  style. 

r».     B>  the  use  of  the  emphatic  positions  in  the  sentence — the  hegin- 
Blag  ami  the  end     Of  the  two,  the  latter  is  the  more  emphatic. 

THI     Mn    i    ,,| .  \im\o  FAULTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  OF 
I!  Kilt    SCHOOL  GRADUATES 

"What  are  the  most  glaring  faults  in  the  English  of  the 
average  high  school  graduate  who  finds  employment  in  your 


10  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

office?"  To  obtain  the  opinions  of  business  men  on  this  impor- 
tant question,  the  author  sent  it,  in  a  circular  letter,  to  a  num- 
ber of  the  best  known  business  institutions  in  this  country. 
From  the  replies  received,  the  following  have  been  selected 
because  they  are  typical  and  suggstive: 

THE  GLOBE-WERNICKE  CO.— "In  our  opinion  the  most  glaring 
fault  of  the  average  young  person  who  seeks  a  position,  is  a  lack  of 
general,  broad-minded  education  as  these  matters  apply  to  the  general 
business  matters.  *  *  *  Technical  details  of  each  individual  job  are 
picked  up  quickly  by  a  young  person  whose  mind  is  not  in  a  narrow 
rut" 

COMPTROLLER,  OLDS  MOTOR  WORKS.— "In  my  opinion,  the 
most  glaring  defect  in  the  letters  written  by  the  average  high  school 
graduate  is  the  crude,  cumbersome,  strained  sentence  structure.  *  *  * 
The  ability  to  write  an  easy,  natural  business  stylo  will  not  be  gained 
through  writing  half-baked  essays  on  topics  taken  from  English  liter- 
ature. It  can  only  be  acquired  through  constant  practice  in  writing 
themes  about  commonplace  matters,  which  practice  should  begin  in  the 
freshman  year  and  continue  through  to  the  close  of  the  senior  year." 

SALES  MANAGER,  P.  DUFF  &  SONS.— "From  our  observation,  the 
statements  of  young  men  just  out  of  school  are  lacking  in  continuity 
and  brevity.  In  other  words,  they  don't  seem  to  consider  beforehand 
just  what  they  are  going  to  say  and  how  they  will  say  it." 

EDITOR  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY.— "The  average  high 
school  student  seems  to  us  to  have  little  ability  for  clear  and  concise 
statement.     This  we  attribute  to  insufficient  education." 

POSTUli  CEREAL  CO.,  LTD.— "It  is  our  impression  that  the  most 
conspicuous  faults  of  the  average  high  school  pupils  are:  An  inclina- 
tion to  use  ornate  language;  lack  of  brevity  and  directness;  and  a  fail- 
ure to  discriminate  clearly  in  the  meaning  of  words." 

WILLIAM  LEAVENS  &  CO.,  FURNITURE,  BOSTON.— "We  have 
noticed  that  many  applicants  for  positions  in  our  office  have,  during 
their  school  days,  neglected  their  handwriting.  The  handwriting  of  the 
present  day  does  not,  to  our  minds  at  least,  compare  even  favorably 
with  that  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  back." 

THE  GLIDDEN  VARNISH  COMPANY,  CLEVELAND.— "In  our 
opinion,  the  most  glaring  fault  in  the  English  of  the  average  high  school 
pupil  is  the  confusion  of  such  words  as  T  and  'me';  'she'  and  'her': 
'saw'  and  'seen';  'was'  and   'wore,'  etc.     While  the  majority  of  pupils 


ESSENTIALS  11 

understand  the  rules  and  know  the  definitions  by  heart,  they  seem  to 
be  unable  to  apply  what  they  have  learned." 

Summary.  These  criticisms  may  be  summarized  in  the  fol- 
lowing imperatives: 

1.  Take  a  broad  view  of  business  and  make  the  largest  possible 
use  of  your  previous  training. 

2.  Cultivate  "an  easy,  natural  business  style." 

3.  Pay  special  attention  to  sentence  structure. 

4.  Consider  beforehand  just  what  you  are  going  to  say. 

5.  Strive  to  make  your  statements  clear  and  concise. 

6.  Avoid  ornate  language. 

7.  Work  for  terseness  and  directness. 

8.  Discriminate  in  the  meaning  of  words. 

9.  Try  to  improve  your  handwriting. 

10.     Apply  your  knowledge  of  English  grammar. 

ESSENTIALS  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

Form.  The  form  of  the  business  letter  has  to  do  with  the 
proper  placing  of  the  parts.  These  will  be  named  and  de- 
scribed in  Chapter  II.  While  there  is  a  growing  tendency  to 
adapt  the  form  of  the  business  letter  to  the  needs  of  the  par- 
ticular line  of  business  or  to  the  taste  of  the  proprietor,  the 
student  will  find  it  advisable  to  make  his  letter  conservative  or 
conventional  in  form.  There  are  certain  ways  of  arranging  the 
parts  of  a  letter  on  the  letter  sheet  so  as  to  meet  with  the 
approval  of  the  majority  of  business  men  the  country  over. 
Such  forms  have  been  adopted  throughout  this  book.  They 
should  be  practiced  until  they  become  second  nature. 

Structure.  The  structure  of  the  business  letter  has  to  do 
with  the  arrangement  of  the  contents.  It  should  be  logical. 
It  should  facilitate  the  handling  of  the  items  of  business  con- 
tained therein.  The  arrangement  of  the  letter  falls  under  the 
three  natural  divisions  of  any  composition — the  introduction, 
1 1 1 « -  body,  and  the  conclusion. 

The  Introduction.     The  introduction,  if  the  letter  is  a  first 


12  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

letter,  contains  a  statement  of  the  purpose  of  the  letter,  a  ref- 
erence to  an  enclosure,  or  any  other  matter  that  is  necessarily 
preliminary  to  the  principal  items  of  business.     Example: 

"We  have  beeu  informed  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Adams,  of  this  city,  that  you 
are  agents  for  high-grade  awning  cloth,  which  you  sell  at  reasonable 
prices. 

"Enclosed  is  a  sample  of  the  quality  and  weight  in  which  we  are 
interested.    Please  quote  prices." 

If  the  letter  is  a  second  letter,  or  reply,  the  introduction 
contains  an  acknowledgment  of  the  previous  letter  and  a  brief 
statement  of  its  contents.  The  date  of  the  previous  letter 
should  always  be  given.     Example: 

"We  received  your  letter  of  the  10th  inst,  in  which  you  requested 
prices  on  awning  cloth  and  enclosed  a  sample." 

Body.  The  body  of  the  letter  contains  the  items  of  busi- 
ness, arranged  in  logical  order  and  each  in  a  separate 
paragraph. 

Conclusion.  The  conclusion  contains  a  closing  sentence  or 
phrase  that  gives  finish  to  the  letter  and  prevents  an 
abrupt  ending.  It  should  be  placed  in  a  separate  paragraph. 
Examples : 

"We  hope  you  will  give  this  proposition  the  careful  consideration  it 
deserves." 

"Hoping  that  such  a  settlement  of  your  claim  will  be  entirely  satis- 
factory, we  are" 

"Knowing  that  you  will  be  able  to  give  us  advice  of  great  value  in 
this  matter,  we  await  your  reply  with  interest." 

"Thanking  you  for  calling  our  attention  to  this  error  and  awaiting 
the  pleasure  of  your  future  orders,  we  remain" 

Courtesy.  The  business  letter  should  always  be  courteous 
in  tone.  The  tone  of  the  letter  is  the  general  impression  given 
by  the  letter  of  the  writer's  attitude  at  the  time  of  writing. 


ESSENTIALS  13 

Most  business  men  judge  the  tone  of  the  letter  by  the  words 
used.  A  few  seem  to  have  the  ability  to  ''read  between  the 
lines." 

The  courtesy  of  a  business  letter  should  be  dignified,  some- 
what formal,  and,  above  all,  sincere  and  natural. 

There  are  several  causes  of  a  lack  of  courtesy  in  a  business 
letter.  A  common  cause  is  the  mistaking  of  brevity  for  terse- 
ness. Brevity  is  the  stating  of  the  thought  in  the  fewest  pos- 
sible words.  Terseness  is  the  stating  of  the  thought  in  the 
fewest  possible  words  consistent  with  courtesy.  It  is  concise- 
ness without  bluntness.  The  best  way  to  cultivate  the  quality 
of  terseness  in  style  is  to  study  the  exact  value  of  words  by 
Frequent  use  of  the  dictionary  and  by  careful  observation  of 
the  speech  of  those  who  use  good  English.  Often  a  precise 
word  will  be  more  expressive  than  a  whole  phrase. 

The  use  of  the  abrupt  imperative  is  likely  to  give  a  touch 
of  discourtesy  to  the  tone  of  the  letter,  even  in  a  letter  order- 
ing goods,  where  it  would  be  most  likely  to  be  permissible.  It 
may  be  toned  down  by  the  use  of  words  that  are  suggestive  of 
deference;  such  as,  "please,"  "kindly,"  "at  your  earliest  con- 
venience," etc. 

Letters  of  complaint  have  a  tendency  to  become  dis- 
courteous. When  the  carelessness  or  neglect  of  others  is  the 
cause  of  inconvenience  or  financial  loss,  there  may  be  cause  for 
disgust  or  even  anger,  but  it  should  not  be  expressed  so 
strongly  as  to  violate  the  requirements  of  courtesy. 

Completeness.  The  business  letter  should  contain  every 
bit  of  information  that  would  help  to  make  it  a  complete  rec- 
ord of  the  transaction  A  letter  ordering  goods  that  contains 
■hipping  directions,  "Please  ship  the  same  as  our  last 
order,"  is  incomplete  in  an  essential  detail  and  it  becomes 
necessary  to  consult  the  files  to  supply  information  that  the 
letter  should  contain. 

Exactness.  A  letter  should  be  exact  in  details.  All  letters 
should  he  correctly  dated.     The  amounts  of  enclosures  should 


1-t  COMMERCIAL    BNQLI8H 

be  given  exactly.  Special  attention  should  be  given  to  figures 
indicating  quantities  of  goods,  hours  of  appointment,  sums  of 
money,  etc. 

Correctness.     Correctness  demands  due  attention  to   mat- 
ters of  form,  to  spelling,  to  grammar,  and  to  punctuation. 

EXERCISES    FOR    ORAL    AM)    WRITTEN     PRACTICE 

1.  Point  out,  in  the  following  passage  from  Foe's  "The  Fall  of  the 
House  of  Usher,"  the  expressions  and  words  that  mark  it  as 
literary  English,  as  distinguished  from  commercial  English: 

"Oppressed  as  I  certainly  was  upon  the  occurrence  of  this 
second  and  most  extraordinary  coincidence,  by  a  thousand 
conflicting  sensations,  in  which  wonder  and  extreme  terror 
were  predominant,  I  still  retained  sufficient  presence  of  mind 
to  avoid  exciting  by  any  observation  the  sensitive  nervous- 
ness of  my  companion.  I  was  by  no  means  certain  that  he 
had  noticed  the  sounds  in  question,  although,  assuredly,  a 
strange  alteration  had  during  the  last  few  minutes  taken 
place  in  his  demeanor.  From  a  position  fronting  my  own,  he 
had  gradually  brought  round  his  chair,  so  as  to  sit  with  his 
face  to  the  door  of  the  chamber;  and  thus  I  could  but  par- 
tially perceive  his  features,  although  I  saw  that  his  lips 
trembled  as  if  he  were  murmuring  "inaudibly.  His  head  had 
dropped  upon  his  breast,  yet  I  knew  that  he  was  not  asleep, 
from  the  wide  and  rigid  opening  of  his  eye  as  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  it  in  profile.  The  motion  of  his  body,  too,  was  at 
variance  with  this  idea — for  he  rocked  from  side  to  side  with 
a  gentle  yet  constant  and  uniform  sway." 

2.  Point  out  the  characteristics  of  commercial  English  in  the  fol- 
lowing quotation  from  a  business  catalog: 

"The  model  kitchen  must  'save  steps.1  Though  you  fill  a 
big  room  with  the  most  ingenious  conveniences,  your  kitchen 
will  be  a  failure  if  you  must  be  on  your  feet  continually  and 
walk  from  place  to  place  to  do  your  work. 

"Most  women  are  on  their  feet  too  mucb.  They  wear 
themselves  out,  impair  their  health  and  looks. 

"'Save  steps!'  You  can  have. an  ideal  kitchen  easily, 
whether  you  are  renting  an  old  house  or  planning  a  new  one, 
if   you   will   keep   this    motto    in    mind.     Sides   and   walls   of 


ESSENTIALS  15 

kitchens  arc  much  alike.     The  arrangement  that  'saves  steps' 
makes  a  kitchen  successful. 

"Your  work  table  is  the  keynote  of  your  kitchen  arrange- 
ment All  your  kitchen  centers  around  the  table.  In  its 
treatment  lies  the  chief  distinction  between  the  treadmill  and 
the  modern  scientific  kitchen." 

::.  Write  a  description  of  some  article  of  school  furniture,  for  the 
catalog  of  a  school  supply  house. 

4.  Write  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  use  of  a  moving  picture 
machine  in  tin*  high  school.  Make  at  least  three  distinct  points 
and  devote  a  paragraph  to  each. 

5.  Write  directions  for  using  some  mechanical  device. 

6.  Write  the  possible  history  of  some  firm,  to  be  used  in  the  intro- 
duction of  their  annual  catalog.  Some  of  the  points  to  be 
emphasized  are :  date  of  founding  the  business,  by  whom 
founded,  growth,  ideals,  equipment,  specialties. 

7.  Write  ten  sentences,  each  about  a  different  phase  of  your  school 
and  its  activities,  to  be  used  in  a  general  circular  of  informa- 
tion for  parents. 

8.  Take  one  of  the  best  sentences  from  the  above  exercise  and  de- 
velop it  into  a  paragraph  in  business  style. 

:>.  \\'rii<-  ;i  qmopeie,  In  terse  style,  of  a  newspaper  article  on  a 
topic  of  present  Importance: 

10.  Write  a  brief  statement,  for  the  benefit  of  your  teacher,  of  your 
principal  difficulties  or  pleasure  in  the  study  of  English,  and 
what  you  hope  to  accomplish  by  studying  commercial  English. 

11.  Write,  from  memory,  the  gist  of  the  opinions  of  business  men. 
given  on  page  10. 

12  Write  a  testimonial  on  the  merits  of  some  article  or  brand  of 
goods  that  is  used  in  your  home. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  FORM  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

More  Than  One  Form.  In  presenting  the  form  of  the  busi- 
ness letter,  it  is  impossible  to  be  arbitrary.  So  many  forms  of 
letter  are  in  use  by  business  men  of  good  judgment  and  stand- 
ing that  no  one  form  can  be  proposed  as  standard.  Business 
men  have  come  to  feel  as  much  freedom  in  determining  the 
form  of  the  letters  that  go  out  from  their  office  as  thej^  feel  in 
selecting  stationery  for  their  correspondence.  It  is  likely, 
therefore,  that  the  student  who  has  just  graduated  from  high 
school  and  is  about  to  enter  a  business  office  may  have  to  drop 
the  form  of  letter  he  has  learned,  after  months  of  practice,  and 
learn  a  new  one  quickly  and  cheerfully. 

Business  Stationery.  The  first  important  influence  on  the 
form  of  the  business  letter  is  the  stationery  upon  which  it  is 
written.  The  standard  business  letter  sheet  is  8^x11  inches. 
Long  use  has  established  this  size  as  the  most  convenient  to 
hold  in  the  hand,  to  fold  into  an  envelope  of  medium  size,  and 
to  file  for  future  reference.  There  is  also  the  half  sheet,  which 
is  used  by  some  business  men  for  very  short  letters.  It  is 
^y<2^V2.  inches.  It  is  written  upon  across  the  wide  way,  the 
same  as  the  whole  sheet.  A  few  firms  use  a  sheet  of  this  size 
for  all  their  correspondence  and  write  upon  it  across  the  nar- 
row way. 

While  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  business  men  from 
choosing  stationery  of  other  dimensions,  such  personal  pref- 
erences are  always  subject  to  the  adverse  criticisms  of  business 
men  who  have  become  accustomed  to  the  standard  sizes. 

Since  the  vast  bulk  of  business  letters  are  written  upon  the 

16 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  J? 

standard  Sy^ull  sheet,  the  form  of  the  business  letter  has  come 
to  conform  to  this  size  of  sheet,  so  that  the  placing  of  the  parts 
and  the  width  of  the  margins  may  satisfy  the  sense  of  order 
and  proportion.  It  becomes  necessary,  therefore,  if  sheets 
larger  or  smaller  than  the  standard  are  used,  to  readjust  all 
the  details,  which  is,  in  itself,  an  argument  against  their  use. 
Letter  Heads.  It  has  become  an  established  practice  with 
business  firms  to  print  at  the  top  of  the  business  letter  sheet 
the  firm  name,  the  line  of  business,  business  location,  phone 
numbers,  and  cable  address,  if  any.  These  items,  when  so 
printed,  comprise  what  is  commonly  termed  the  "letter  head.'' 
They  are  usually  printed  in  the  center  of  the  sheet,  but  may 
also  be  printed  in  the  left  hand  corner.  The  principles  that 
underlie  good  taste  in  letter  heads  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
on  advertising,  page  157.  Many  business  firms  use  the  letter 
head  for  the  first  page  of  the  letter'  only,  and  prefer  plain 
ts  for  the  following  pages.  This  avoids  the  unnecessary 
repetition  of  the  information  contained  in  the  letter  head  and 
gives  the  letter  a  better  appearance  of  continuity. 

A  Feeling  for  Form.  As  you  become  experienced  in  the 
writing  of  business  letters,  you  will  develop  a  feeling  for  form 
that  will  enable  you  to  recognize  a  well-placed  letter  at  a 
glance.  This  feeling  is  common  among  well  educated  business 
men  to  a  degree  that  makes  it  possible  for  them  to  note  in- 
stantly whether  a  letter  is  satisfactory  in  form.  This  being 
the  case,  it  is  well  for  the  student  to  learn  a  form  that  is 
approved  by  a  large  number  of  business  men.  The  second 
model  form,  given  on  page  21,  was  submitted  to  a  large  num- 
ber  of  the  best  known  business  firms  in  this  country,  whose 
correspondence  experts,  almost  without  exception,  pronounced 
it  entirely  satisfactory. 

The  Question  of  Margins.     The  question  of  margins,  like 

the  *|iH'stion  of  form,  is  a  matter  on  which  it  is  impossible  to 

be  arbitrary.     Practices  differ  widely  in  business  offices.     The 

•  nt  tendency  is  toward  wider  margins,  especially  on  the 


13  COMMEIU'l  \l.     KMil.lSll 

left.  Some  firms  are  using  as  much  as  a  two-inch  margin  on 
the  left  and  a  one-inch  margin  on  the  right.  Others  are  using 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  margin  on  each  side.  Some  firms  in- 
crease the  width  of  the  margin  if  the  letter  is  short,  so  as  to 
throw  it,  as  much  as  possible,  into  the  center  of  the  paper. 
Other  firms  keep  the  margins  always  the  same  and,  in  case  of 
short  letters,  throw  extra  white  space  at  the  top  and  bottom. 
The  use  of  half  sheets  for  short  letters  is  decreasing. 

The  Hand-Written  Letter.  The  use  of  the  hand-written 
letter  is  now  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  private  corre- 
spondence of  the  individual  who  finds  it  inconvenient  or  im- 
possible to  have  his  letter  typewritten.  In  this  course,  the 
student  will  likely  write  most  of  his  letters  by  hand  and  will 
receive  thereby  much  valuable  practice  in  penmanship,  if  the 
work  is  carefully  done.  It  must  be  remembered,  also,  that  the 
most  important  letter  that  any  person  may  be  called  upon  to 
write — a  letter  of  application — is  often  required  in  the  writer's 
own  handwriting. 

SPECIAL   SUGGESTION'S  FOR  Till-!   TYPEWRITTEN'   LETTER 

While  matters  of  detail  in  the  typewritten  letter  are  deter- 
mined largely  by  the  preferences  of  the  individual  business 
office,  the  student  may  find  the  following  suggestions  helpful, 
as  they  represent  the  best  of  present-day  usage : 

•  Before  starting  to  write  a  business  letter,  determine,  approximately, 
how  much  space  it  will  require.  The  average  business  letter  is  about 
one  page  in  length  and  it  is  desirable  to  bring  the  letter  within  the  page 
limit,  whenever  possible  to  do  so. 

If  the  letter  can  be  written  on  one  page,  without  crowding,  allow  a 
generous  margin  on  the  left  of  about  ten  spaces  and  about  half  as  much 
on  the  right. 

Indent  each  paragraph  about  the  width  of  the  left-hand  margin. 
beginning,  therefore,  at  20. 

If  the  letter  seems  to  be  a  little  long  tor  one  page,  ami  hardly  long 
enough  for  two,  bring  it  within  the  page  limit  by  single-spacing  between 
the  lines  and  double-spacing  between   the  paragraphs. 

Do  not  single-space  if  the  letter  is  ;i  long  one  and  will  require  more 


IOK.M    OF   BUSINESS   LETTER  19 

than  one  page,  as  it  makes  the  letter  look  very  uninviting  and  hard  to 

read. 

If  the  letter  is  short,  make  wider  margins  on  the  left  and  right  and 
throw  space  at  the  top  and  hottom,  so  as  to  center  the  letter  on  the 
page.     If  the  letter  is  extremely  short,  a  half  sheet  may  be  used. 

In  writing  a  letter  of  two  or  more  pages,  preserve  a  margin  at  the 
bottom  of  each  page,  equal,  approximately,  to  the  width  of  the  margin 
on  the  left 

In  writing  a  letter  slightly  longer  than  one  page,  carry  two  or 
throe  linos  of  the  body  of  the  letter  over  to  the  second  page.  Always 
avoid  beginning  the  second  page  with  only  the  closing  phrase  or  the 
complimentary  close. 

Cultivate  habits  of  neatness  in  every  detail.     See  that  the  type  on 

the    machine    is    clean    and    the    ribbon    in    good    condition.      Avoid 

erasures,  finger  marks,  and  writing  one  letter  over  another,  as  these 

things  strike  the  eye  of  the  recipient  of  the  letter  as  signs  of  careless- 

and  slovenliness. 

EXPLANATION    OF    MODEL   LETTERS 

There  follows  a  series  of  five  model  letters  that  are  pre- 
sented to  illustrate  the  form  of  the  business  letter.  These  are 
only  a  few  of  the  forms  in  present  use,  but  they  have  been 
chosen  to  represent  the  best  of  conventional  forms,  as  deter- 
mined by  the  preference  of  a  large  number,  if  not  a  majority, 
of  business  men. 

Number  I  is  the  form  of  letter  that  may  be  adopted  as  standard  for 
hand-written  letters.  The  margins  are  not  quite  so  wide  as  would  be 
need  for  a  typewritten  letter.  The  margin  on  the  left  is  one  inch.  The 
margin  <>n  the  right  is  one-half  inch.  The  letter  is  dropped  down  from 
the  top  of  the  letter  shoot  two  inches.  The  space  is  to  be  increased  to 
as  much  as  three  inchee  if  the  letter  is  shorter  than  the  model.  In  the 
heading,  the  first  lino  comes  to  the  margin.  A  space  equal,  approxi- 
mately, to  the  width  of  a  line  is  omitted  between  the  introduction  and 
the  heading;  bo  u  to  set  off  the  latter.  The  first  line  of  the  introduction 
ll  begun  .it  tli*-  margin;  the  second  line  is  indented  one  inch;  and  the 
third,  two  inches.  This  forms  a  slant  along  the  front  of  these  three 
Hneo,  The  salutation  is  began  at  the  margin.  The  paragraphs  are 
Indented  one  inch.  The  complimentary  clone  is  begun  one-half  inch  to 
the  left  of  the  middle  of  the  Bpace  between  the  margins.  The  signature 
COlBei  to  the  right  margin,  if  long,  and  more  to  the  left,  proportionately, 
if  not  so  long,    in  the  modal,  the  signature  i<  <>f  medium  length.    The 


20 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


/ 


-■ 


- 


-' --^C-T?-?b>-, 


Z^i-f  ~4r~ZZsC  i 


I.      HAND-WRITTEN    LETTER,   SLANTED  FORM 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  21 


725  Normal  Avenue, 
Warrensburg,  Mo.,  May  15,  19 — . 

The  Ridgway  Company, 

Spring  and  Macdougal  Streets, 

Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Gentlemen: 

Enclosed  please  find  New  York  draft  for  $1.50  for 
which  send,  to  my  address  above,  "Everybody's  Magazine"  for 
one  year,  beginning  with  the  June  number. 

I  have  taken  "Everybody's"  for  the  past  five  years 
and  consider  it  the  best  popular  magazine  published. 

On  looking  over  my  back  files,  I  find  that  I  do  not 
have  the  March  1917  number.  Please  inform  me  whether  you  are 
able  to  supply  it  and  at  what  price.. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Enclosure. 


II.     SAME  i.i.rn:i:  as  IX  I,  TYPEWRITTEN 


22  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAP 


725  Normal  Avenue, 
Warrensburg,  Mo.,  May  15,  19- 


The  Rldgway  Company, 

Spring  and  Macdougal  Streets, 

Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Gentlemen: 


Very  truly  yours, 


Enclosure, 


III.      TYPEWRITTEN  IN  BLOCKED  FORM 
This  form  is  more  recent  than  II  and  is  often  preferred  for  its 
mechanical  convenience. 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  23 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 


149  Piatt  Street, 
Chicago,  111.,  November  10,  19--. 


Atlas  Mover  Company, 

1419  Bismark  Avenue, 
Boston,  Mass. 

Gentlemen: 

We  are  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the*  10th  inst., 
in  which  you  asked  for  information  concerning  filing  systems. 

As  our  business  is  carried  on  chiefly  through  the 
mails  and  requires  the  handling  of  a  large  volume  of  corre- 
spondence, we  use  the  numerical  filing  system  exclusively. 

However,  as  your  business  is  carried  on  locally,  to 
a  much  larger  extent  than  ours,  we  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  alphabetical  system  would  prove  more  satisfactory  to  you. 

The  numerical  filing  system  is  to  be  recommended 
when  there  is  a  limited  correspondence  from  a  large  number  of 
correspondents;  the  alphabetical,  when  there  is  a  heavy  cor- 
respondence from  a  limited  number  of  correspondents. 

For  further  information  concerning  the  alphabetical 
system  of  filing,  we  would  suggest  that  you  correspond  with 
Messrs.  Bond,  Jackson  &  Company,  Memphis,  Term,  as  they  have 
used  that  system  for  several  years. 

We  hope  this  information  will  be  of  value  to  you. 


Very  truly  yours, 

Heywood,  Preston  &  Company. 


IV.       I  .TITER   CONDENSED  BY   SINGLE   SPACING 


H  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


(printed  letter  head  here) 


Chicago,  111.,  Oct.  17,  19—, 


Mr.  A.  B.  Hubbard, 

116  N.  Perm.  Street, 

Oxford,  Ohio. 

Dear  Sir: 

We  are  in  receipt  of  your  order  of 
the  14th  inst.  and  wish  to  thank  you  for  it. 

We  will  ship  the  goods  on  the  20th 
by  Pennsylvania  freight,  as  you  request,  and 
hope  they  will  reach  you  in  good  condition. 

Your  future  orders  will  be  carefully 
attended  to. 

Very  truly  yours, 


V.      SHORT  LETTER,   WRITTEN    WITH   WIDE    MARGINS   AND  DROPPED 
DOWN   TO   FILL   PAGE 


FORM    OF   BUSINESS    LETTER 


25 


(Margin) 
I1H  Inebi 


(Heading —  2  inches  below  top) 


mm)  I   (Margin) 

(1  Incht 


(Introduction) 


(Body) 


(Complimentary  close) 


(Signature) 


VI.      DUOBAW   01   MODEL  LETTER,  showing  POSITION  OF  PARTS 


26  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

word  "enclosure"  is  written  on  the  first  line  below  the  signature,  begin- 
ning at  the  margin.  It  may  be  written  lower  down,  if  it  helps  to  balance 
the  letter  on  the  sheet,  which  would  be  the  case, if  the  letter  were  some- 
what shorter  than  the  model. 

Number  II  shows  the  same  letter  as  in  Number  I  in  typewritten 
form  and  with  slightly  wider  margins.  It  is  a  common  practice  to  give 
a  typewritten  letter  wider  margins  than  a  hand-written  letter,  so  that 
its  more  compact  appearance  will  not  cause  it  to  look  overcrowded. 

Number  III  illustrates  the  square  or  blocked  form  that  is  preferred 
not  only  by  many  business  men,  but  also  by  a  large  number  of  typists. 
It  has  a  decided  advantage  over  the  slanted  form,  in  that  it  is  much 
easier  to  adjust  the  machine  carriage  to  place  the  different  parts.  There 
are  several  variations  on  this  form,  but  the  model  may  be  regarded  as 
typical. 

Number  IV  illustrates  the  use  of  single-spacing  to  bring  a  letter 
within  the  page  limit.  It  is  highly  desirable  to  do  this,  as  a  letter  does 
not  look  well  if  a  few  lines  are  carried  to  the  top  of  a  second  page.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  the  parts  and  the  separate  paragraphs  are  set  off  by 
double-spacing.  This  contributes  greatly  to  the  neat  and  clear-cut 
appearance  of  the  letter. 

Number  V  shows  how  a  short  letter  may  be  balanced  on  a  page  by 
throwing  more  space  at  the  top  than  is  usually  required  and  by  the  use 
of  wider  margins  on  the  left  and  right.  The  letter  in  the  model  is  three 
inches  from  the  top  of  the  letter  sheet.  The  body  of  the  letter  extends 
from  10  to  65  on  the  typewriter.  Even  wider  margins  may  be  used,  if 
necessary. 

TARTS  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

No  matter  what  form  of  business  letter  may  be  preferred, 
the  following  parts  are  essential  and  no  one  of  them  should 
ever  be  omitted: 

The  Heading.  The  heading  may  or  may  not  include  the 
address  of  the  writer.  It  must  include  the  city  and  state  from 
which  the  letter  is  written,  and  the  date.  Present  usage  favors 
writing  the  date  in  full ;  as,  February  22,  1918,  or,  Feb.  22,  '18, 
not  2/22/18.  There  are  at  least  two  good  reasons  for  this: 
first,  if  the  writer  expresses  the  date  by  a  figure,  there  is  a 
possibility  that  he  may  make  a  mistake  in  the  figure  and  write 
3/22  for  2/22;  and,  second,  it  is  an  inconvenience  to  anyone 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  27 

who  will  have  occasion  to  refer  to  the  letter  in  the  future  to 
have  to  reconstruct  the  date. 

The  Introduction.  The  introduction  contains  the  name  of 
the  person  to  whom  the  letter  is  addressed,  his  official  title,  and 
the  city  and  state  in  which  he  lives.  It  is  customary  to  con- 
dense the  introduction  into  three  lines  whenever  possible.  For 
this  reason,  it  is  permissible  to  write  the  city  and  state  on  one 
line,  whereas  they  occupy  two  lines  on  the  envelope. 

The  Salutation.  The  salutation  is  the  formal  address.  In 
the  business  letter,  it  is  followed  by  a  colon,  or  a  colon  and  a 
dash.  The  former  is  preferable,  especially  if  the  letter  is  hand- 
written. The  comma  is  used  after  the  salutation  in  the  social 
letter,  but  should  never  be  used  in  the  business  letter.  Usage 
has  established  certain  forms  of  salutation.  In  the  business 
letter,  Dear  Sir,  My  Dear  Sir,  Gentlemen,  and  My  Dear 
Sirs  are  the  common  forms;  while  in  the  social  letter,  Dear 
Friend,  and  Dear  Aunt  Helen,  etc.,  are  often  used.  The  plural 
form  Dear  Sirs  is  now  being  used  by  a  good  many  business 
men  instead  of  the  older  form,  Gentlemen.  While  the  latter 
has  long  usage  in  its  favor,  the  former  is  undoubtedly  the 
logical  plural  of  Dear  Sir.  Dear  Madam  is  used  to  refer 
either  to  a  married  woman  or  an  unmarried  woman;  Dear 

Miss or  Dear  Mrs. may  also  be  used, 

especially  when  the  more  common  form,  Dear  Madam,  tends 
to  have  an  effect  of  bluntness  or  harshness. 

The  Body.  The  body  includes  the  entire  text  of  the  letter, 
from  the  indention  of  the  first  paragraph  to  the  end  of  the  last 
paragraph. 

The  Complimentary  Close.  The  complimentary  close  gives 
the  letter  a  formal  and  respectful  ending,  just  as  the  salutation 
gives  it  a  formal  and  respectful  beginning.  There  is  a  natural 
relation  between  the  salutation  and  the  complimentary 
close.  Dear  Sir,  in  the  business  letter,  is  followed  by  Respect- 
fully yours,  or  Very  truly  yours;  while  Dear  Friend,  in  the 
social  letter,  is  followed  by  Sincerely  yours,  or  Cordially  yours. 


28  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

The  Signature.  In  modern  usage,  the  signature  is  the  com- 
monly recognized  or  legal  name  of  an  individual,  partnership, 
corporation,  or  the  agent  of  the  same.  In  any  one  of  these 
forms  of  signature  it  is  customary  to  have  the  full  name  or 
initials  of  one  person,  at  least.  In  the  case  of  an  individual 
signature,  the  writer  should  Use  either  his  full  first  name  or 
both  initials  before  his  last  name,  in  order  to  avoid  any  pos- 
sible confusion.  Partnership  signatures  are  executed  either 
by  a  member  of  the  firm  or  by  an  agent.  Corporation  signa- 
tures are  usually  executed  by  an  officer  of  the  company.  If 
an  agent  is  duly  authorized,  either  by  special  deputation  or 
regular  official  position,  he  may  sign  for  any  individual,  part- 
nership, or  corporation.  It  is  common  practice  for  the  agent 
to  sign  his  name  or  initials  under  the  firm  name,  after  the 
word  "per,"  or  "by,"  which  shows  that  he  is  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  agent.  The  agent  may  or  may  not  write  the  word 
"agent,"  or  any  other  word  that  indicates  his  official  position, 
after  his  name.  "When  the  signature  is  made  by  an  agent,  the 
name  of  the  firm,  partnership,  or  corporation  may  be  written 
on  a  typewriter  or  stamped  with  a  rubber  stamp. 

Below  are  examples  of  these  various  types  of  signature : 

1.     Individual: 

Sincerely  yours, 


Respectfully  yours, 


EOliM    OF    BUSINESS    LETTER 


29 


2.     Firm  or  partnership: 

Very  truly  yours, 


Very  truly  yours, 


/0~7\. 


3.     Corporation : 


Very   truly   yours, 

Osmond  Iron  Company, 

Very   truly   yours, 

GOODYEAR* MARSHALL  PUBLISHING  CO. 

by &,  \7-  .A-Z^wgr-teferr^         * 


4.     Agent : 


Sincerely  yours, 

CONSOLIDATE!}   M'FG.  CO, 


Very  truly  yours, 

CASE   MACHINE  COMPANY. 


^^^^^^w. 


30  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

The  Signature  of  Women.  Tn  business  correspondence,  an 
unmarried  woman  should  prefix  Miss  to  her  name,  in  paren- 
thesis; as,  (Miss)  Luella  Jane  Brown.  Similarly,  a  married 
woman,  if  a  widow,  signs  her  name  thus:  (Mrs.)  Mary  Louise 
Sanborn.  If  her  husband  is  living,  she  may  sign  her  name: 
Mrs.  James  N.  Sanborn ;  or  Mary  Louise  Sanborn  (Mrs.  James 
N.  Sanborn).  In  either  case,  her  correspondent  should  address 
her  as  Mrs.  James  N.  Sanborn,  in  reply. 

Closing  Phrase.  A  closing  phrase  is  often  used  between 
the  last  line  of  the  body  of  the  letter  and  the  complimentary 
close  to  add  tone  to  the  letter  or  to  avoid  an  abrupt  close.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  letter  as  a  whole  and  not  of  the  last  paragraph 
and  should,  therefore,  be  indented  as  a  new  paragraph.  The 
position  of  the  closing  phrase  may  be  seen  in  the  following 
illustration : 


give  you  the  best  lime  to  be  had  in  the  market. 

Thanking  you  for  this  order  and  awaiting  your  further  favors, 
we  are 

Very  truly  yours. 

ACME  COAL  &  CEMENT  COMPANY. 

The  repetition  of  certain  set  closing  phrases  is  so  monoto- 
nous that  it  is  well  to  avoid  using  them  whenever  possible.  It 
should  be  noted  that  the  model  letters  in  this  book  illustrate 
the  possibility  of  doing  so. 

ADDRESSING  THE  BUSINESS  ENVELOPE 

The  form  that  should  be  used  in  addressing  the  business 
envelope  is  almost  as  much  a  matter  of  preference  as  the 
form  of  the  business  letter.  It  is,  therefore,  equally  hard 
to  propose  forms  as  standard.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
not  many  business  envelopes  are  addressed  with  even 
a  fair  degree  of  accuracy  or  consistency.  There  should. 
however,  be    a    general    similarity    between    the    form    used 


FORM   OF   BUSINESS   LETTER  31 

on  the  envelope  and  the  form  used  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  letter.  Most  forms  of  superscription  are, 
therefore,  either  slanted  or  square,  with  variations.  Con- 
servative punctuation  requires  a  comma  after  each  line  of  the 
address  and  return  except  the  last,  which  should  be  followed  by 
a  period.  The  return  address  on  a  business  envelope  should  be 
placed  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner  and,  if  hand-written, 
should  be  in  a  smaller  hand.  Nearly  all  business  houses  have 
their  own  return  address  printed  on  their  envelopes.  There  is 
a  growing  tendency  to  favor  the  omission  of  end  punctuation 
on  the  envelope.  This  does  not  include  the  omission  of  periods 
after  abbreviations,  as  the  periods  are,  in  such  cases,  a  matter 
of  spelling  rather  than  of  punctuation. 

In  the  illustration  of  the  slanted  form  of  superscription,  the 
following  points  are  to  be  noted : 

1.  The  first  line  of  the  address  is  exactly  in  the  center  of  the 
envelope,  from  top  to  bottom. 

2.  Each  succeeding  line  is  indented  an  equal  distance  to  the  right. 

3.  The  longest  line  is  as  far  from  the  right  as  the  lowest  line  is 
from  the  bottom.  In  this  case,  the  fourth  line  is  the  longest 
line.  Any  one  of  the  four  lines  might  be  the  longest  line  and 
give  the  margin  on  the  right.  The  distance  from  the  right  and 
from  the  bottom  should  be  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  and 
rather  more  than  less. 

4.  The  return  is  placed  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner  with  a  small 
margin — about  one-eighth  of  an  inch — at  the  top  and  at  the  left. 

5.  This  is  a  four-line  superscription.  In  case  of  a  three-line  super- 
scription, the  "name"  and  "state"  lines  would  be  written  as 
in  the  model,  and  the  second  line  would  be  spaced  between, 
which  would  make  the  space  between  lines  greater.  A  fifth  line,  or 
the  line  containing  the  street  number,  may  be  placed  in  the 
lower  left  hand  corner.  It  slmuM  come  os  a  level  with  the 
lowest  line  rod  be  the  same  distance  from  the  left  that  the 
longest  line  is  from  the  right 


i 


32  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


^•yf^yeo-T^np- 

^ 

■ 

"\ 

^■^ 

~Jts<Z*£ 

^  -. 

I.       ffAND-WRlTTEN  SUPERSCRIPTION,  SLANTED  FORM 

TEST  FOR  SLANTED  SUPERSCRIPTION 

In  the  illustration  above  are  given  test  lines  that  may 
be  applied  to  any  hand-written,  slanted  superscription,  as 
follows : 

1.  Draw  a  line  from  left  to  right,  bisecting  the  envelope.  This  line 
should  pass  through  the  center  of  the  first  line  of  the  super- 
scription. 

2.  Draw  a  line  from  top  to  bottom,  bisecting  the  envelope.  This 
line  should  pass  about  through  the  middle  of  a  long  first  line. 

3.  Draw  a  line  along  the  front  slant.  If  the  slant  is  perfect,  the 
beginning  of  each  line  will  touch  this  test  line. 

4.  Draw  a  line  through  a  point  at  the  end  of  the  first  line  parallel 
to  the  line  along  the  left  slant.  The  triangles,  thus  formed,  In 
the  upper  right  and  lower  left  corners,  should  be  approximately 
equal.  If  either  triangle  is  smaller  than  the  other,  it  is  a  sign 
that  the  superscription  has  been  placed  too  much  in  that  corner. 
If  the  first  line  is  unusually  long  in  comparison  with  the  other 
lines,  this  test  would  not  hold  good  unless  the  line  were  drawn 
after  a  line  of  average  length,  which  would  then  likely  he  the 
second  lino. 

NOTE. — The  return  card  should  have  tho  same  general  slant  as  the 
main  addn 


FORM   OF   BUSINESS   LETTER  33 


^hortrtonp  Sailg  iEdjn 

rulLIIHID   IVIHr   SCHOOL    DAY    BY 

The  Daily  Echo  Press 

SHORTRIDGE  HIGH  SCHOOL 

INDIANAPOLIS    INO 

Mr. 

Fred  B.    Armstrong, 

98  Hammond  Street, 

Cambridge, 

c/o  J.    Ralph  Jewell 

Mass. 

II.      TYPEWRITTEN   SUPERSCRIPTION,  SLANTED  FORM 


J.  STEVENS  ARM  a  COMPANY 

lOI    •»0»0'*»-    iT.CIT 

CMICOPEC    FALLS.  NEW  YORK 

Buffalo  Sled  Company, 

Inc. 

123  Scheneck  Street 

N.    Tonawanda 

« 

New  York 

III.      TYPEWRITTEN    SUPERSCRIPTION,    BLOCKED    FORM 
h»    FOLD  WD  INgERT  A  BUSINESS  LETTER 

There  is  a  certain  relation  between  the  size  of  a  business 
letter  sheet  (8Vfcxll)  and  a  business  size  envelope  (S%x6Yo). 
While  it  is  possible  to  fold  the  sheet  in  several  different  ways 
so  that  it  may  be  contained  in  the  envelope,  the  relation  of  the 


34 


COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


HOW    TO   FOLD    AND    INSERT     \    HI'SIXESS   LETTER 


I.       FIRST    FOLD FROM   BOTTOM    TO    TOP 


II.       SECOND  FOLD — RIGHT   TO  LEFT 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  35 

HOW  TO  FOLD  AND  INSERT  A  BUSINESS  LETTER 


III.   THIRD  FOLD — LEFT  TO  RIGHT 


■■■■ 

7^ 

S^*v     W} 

^.^i  %            &§\ 

tyb 

IV.   INSERTING  FOLDED  LETTER 


36  C0MMBR01  \i.   i:\(;i.isii 

size  of  one  to  the  other  suggests  that  there  is  a  preferred  way 
of  folding.  The  number  of  folds  and  the  manner  of  folding 
are  not,  therefore,  arbitrary  matters,  but,  rather,  the  result  of 
common  practice. 

The  following  is  the  process  of  folding  a  business  letter 
sheet : 

1.  Fold  the  sheet  from  the  bottom  to  within  one-fourth  of  an  Ineb 
of  the  top. 

2.  Fold  from  the  right  to  the  left  a  distance  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
less  than  the  width  of  the  envelope  from  top  to  bottom. 

3.  Fold  the  remaining  portion  over  from  left  to  right.  If  the  fold- 
ing has  been  properly  done,  this  third  fold  should  be  about  half 
as  wide  as  the  second  fold. 

To  insert  the  folded  sheet  in  the. envelope,  hold  the  envelope 
inverted  in  the  left  hand,  with  the  flap  up.  Taking  the  folded 
sheet  in  the  right  hand,  place  the  lower  left  hand  corner  in  the 
envelope  and  slide  the  folded  sheet  into  the  envelope,  resting 
it  on  the  flap  and  being  careful  to  draw  it  up  close  to  the  side 
that  is  nearest  to  you.  This  will  leave  a  clear  space  on  the  right 
hand  side  of  the  envelope  when  it  is  sealed,  which  will  make  it 
possible  to  tear  it  open  on  that  side  without  tearing  the  letter 
sheet. 

NOTE, — To  fold  a  standard  size  sheet  for  a  legal  size  envelope,  or  a 
half  sheet  for  a  standard  size  envelope,  fold  as  for  the  second  and  third 
folds  given   above 

now    TO  MAKE  A\   ENCLOSURE 

Business  correspondence  frequently  makes  use  of  enclos- 
ures. These  include  all  sorts  of  business  papers;  such  as. 
checks,  drafts,  receipts,  invoices,  statements,  quotations  of 
prices,  estimates,  samples,  etc.  If  they  are  not  too  bulky,  they 
are  enclosed  within  the  letter;  otherwise,  they  are  sent  sep- 
arately and  are  usually  referred  to  in  the  letter  as  being  sent 
under  separate  cover.  It  is  a  common  practice  to  refer  to  <  n 
closures  as  early  as  possible  in  the  letter,  so  that  they  take 
precedence  over  all  other  items  of  business  except  the  acknowl- 
edgment of  a  previous  letter.     The  enclosure  is  usually  of  so 


FORM    OF   BUSINESS   LETTER 


37 


much  importance  in  the  business  transaction  that  this  precau- 
tion is  taken  so  that  it  may  not  be  overlooked. 

The  following  is  the  proper  way  to  make  an  enclosure: 

L  Write  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner  of  the  letter  on  the  next 
line  below  the  signature  and  beginning  with  the  margin,  the 
word  "Enclosure,"  "Two  enclosures,"  etc. 

2.  Place  the  enclosure  or  enclosures  on  the  upper  left  hand  corner 
of  the  finished  letter,  leaving  a  margin  of  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  at  the  top;  attach  the  enclosure  or  enclosures  with  a  clip 
or  pin ;  then  fold  the  letter  the  same  as  if  there  were  no 
enclosiu  ■ 


•||ot<m;i:\i  ii    or    HlsINKss    LETTER   SHEET,    SHOWING 
I :\<  I.OSURE  ATTACHED 


38  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

EXERCISES  FOR  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

Exercise  1 
Arrange  and  punctuate  the  following  headings : 

1.  327  North  Street  Moline  111  March  20  19 . 

2.  312  Truax  Building  Denver  Colo  Dec  22 


3.  98  Hammond  St  Cambridge  Mass  April  1  19 . 

4.  Northwestern  University  Evanston  111  June  4  19 . 

5.  New  Brunswick  N  J  Aug  11  19 . 

6.  State  Life  Building  Indianapolis  Ind  Sept  24  19 . 

7.  228  Fifth  Avenue  Chicago  Nov  10  19 . 

8.  105  Pennsylvania  Street  Washington  D  C  July  15  19- 

9.  2037  Arch  Street  Philadelphia  Pa  May  20  19 . 

10.  195  W  Superior  Street  Duluth  Minn  April  10  19 . 

11.  738  Woolworth  Bldg  New  York  City  Oct  29  19 . 


12.  402  Security  Savings  Bank  Building  Cedar  Rapids  Iowa  March 

13.  Erie  Penn  Jan  9  19 . 

14.  Central  High  School  Detroit  Mich  Apr  17  19 . 

15.  342  Charles  Street  Baltimore  Md  Sept  14  19 . 

Exercise  2 
Arrange  and  punctuate  the  following  introductions : 

1.  The  Alton  Milling  Company  Moline  111  Gentlemen 

2.  Mr.  Fred  B.  Stevens  946  Center  Street  Lincoln  Nebr  Dear  Sir 

3.  Mrs.  Helen  R.  Price  Helena  Mont  Dear  Madam 

4.  Brewster  &  Brown  Colby  Street  Maiden  Mass  Dear  Sirs 

5.  The  First  National  Bank  Abilene  Kans  Gentlemen 

6.  Dr.  William  Lowe  Bryan  Pres.  Indiana  University  Bloomington 
Ind  Dear  Sir 

7.  Rev.  E.  J.  Rockwood  Burlington  Vt  Dear  Sir 

8.  Master  Charles  Henry  Davis  c/o  Charles  A.  Davis  1224  Boyls- 
ton  Street  Boston  Mass  Dear  Sir 

9.  Miss  Ruth  May  Wilson  115  Pleasant  Street  St  Joseph  Mo  Dear 
Miss  Wilson 

10.  The  Anchor  Printing  Company  96  State  Street  Louisville  Ky 
Dear  Sirs 

11.  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Dillinghast  Flat  5  The  Blacherne  Annex  Phila- 
delphia Pa  Dear  Madam 

12.  Dr.    William    A.    Neilson    Smith    College    Northampton    Mass 
Dear  Sir 


FORM  OF  BUSINESS  LETTER  39 

13.  The  Landon  School  of  Illustrating  and  Cartooning  1430  Schofield 
Building  Cleveland  Ohio  Gentlemen 

14.  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.  681  Fifth  Ave  New  York  Dear  Sirs 

15.  Illinois  College  of  Photography  946  Wabash  Avenue  Effingham 
Illinois  Gentlemen 

Exercise  3 

Address  the  following  envelopes  according  to  these  direc- 
tions :  On  your  regular  composition  paper  draw  as  many  dia- 
grams of  the  outer  edges  of  a  business  size  envelope  (3%x6!/2 
inches)  on  each  sheet  as  may  be  done  without  crowding.  Use 
each  pair  of  names  and  addresses  as  if  they  represented  a  real 
correspondence.  In  each  group,  the  first  name  and  address 
will  be  used  as  the  name  and  address  of  the  one  to  whom  the 
letter  is  sent  and  the  second  will  be  used  in  the  upper  left  hand 
corner  as  the  return  address ;  then  reverse,  using  the  second  as 
the  address  and  the  first  as  the  return. 

1.  Columbia  Grocery  Company,  306  N.  Main  St.,  Union  Bridge,  Md. 

2.  Colgate  &  Co.,  199  Fulton  St,  New  York  City. 

3.  The  C.  W.  Thompson  Hardware  Company,  Ltd.,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

4.  The  Samuel  Winslow  Skate  Mfg.  Co.,  Worcester,  Mass. 

5.  James  T.  Forbes,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

6.  Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

7..     Hallet  &  Davis  Piano  Co.,  146  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

8.  Wilcox  Piano  Store,  468  Federal  Street,  Portland,  Maine. 

9.  John  Wanamaker,  New  York. 

10.  Halford  H.  Puryear,  101  W.  Liberty  St.,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

11.  National  Provision  Company,  Omaha,  Nebr. 

12.  Swift  &•  Company,  4109  Packers'  Avenue,  Chicago. 

13.  Plymouth  Fur  Co.,  170  Plymouth  Building,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
1 1.  Parker  Pen  Co.,  10  Mill  Street,  Janesville,  Wis. 

|&     James  R.  Prentice,  R.  F.  D.  3,  Zionsvillo.  Ifo. 

16.  Montgomery  Ward  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

17.  Your  own  name  and  address. 

18.  Columbia  Graphophone   Company,   Box  229,    Woolworth   Bldg., 
New  York. 

1!».     Kdw.'inl   r.    K <— .  Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

•jo.     The  Atlantic  Monthly  Company,  4  Park  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


CHAPTER  III 

LETTERS  OF  INQUIRY  AND  INFORMATION 

Use  in  Business.  Letters  of  inquiry  and  information  are 
usually  preliminary  or  incidental  to  business.  A  manufactur- 
ing company  advertises  its  products  in  one  of  the  monthly 
magazines.  The  advertisement  attracts  favorable  notice  and 
arouses  interest.  The  result  is  a  letter  of  inquiry  for  more 
complete  information.  The  manufacturing  company  recog- 
nizes this  as  a  potential  order  and  acts  accordingly  by  bringing 
to  bear  on  the  correspondent  its  utmost  art  to  satisfy  his  de- 
mands and  direct  his  interest  toward  the  purchase  of  the  com- 
modities advertised. 

Before  opening  an  account  with  a  stranger,  it  is  customary 
for  business  men  to  write  to  his  references  to  obtain  informa- 
tion as  to  his  financial  standing.  To  obtain  such  information, 
it  is  a  common  practice  to  write  to  the  bank  with  which  he  does 
business. 

In  considering  letters  of  application,  it  is  also  customary 
for  business  men  to  write  to  references. 

Requests  are  frequently  received  by  business  firms  for 
catalogs,  descriptions,  price  lists,  and  estimates.  Not  only  is 
the  request  complied  with,  but  usually  a  personal  letter  is  sent 
to  accompany  the  catalog,  price  list,  estimate,  etc. 

Letters  on  Moral  Character.  Letters  of  information  on 
moral  character  are  favorable,  unfavorable,  or  incomplete.  If 
an  unfavorable  letter  is  necessary,  it  is  customary  and  policy 
to  say  as  little  as  possible  and  to  omit  the  name  of  the  person 
about  whom  information  is  sought.  See  illustrations  on 
pages  44  and  45. 

40 


LETTERS   OF   INQUIRY   AND   INFORMATION  41 

General  Suggestions.  If  the  one  who  requests  the  informa- 
tion might  be  able  to  extend  a  similar  courtesy  to  the  one  who 
is  to  give  the  information,  he  should  be  careful  to  state  his 
willingness  to  reciprocate  the  favor  at  any  time. 

Unless  the  parties  to  the  correspondence  are  well  ac- 
quainted, which  is  not  usually  the  case,  the  letter  of  inquiry 
and  the  letter  of  information,  in  reply,  should  be  written  in  a 
somewhat  formal  tone  of  respect. 

The  custom  of  closing  a  letter  of  inquiry  with  the  phrase, 
1 '  Thanking  you  in  advance  for  this  favor, ' '  is  not  approved  by 
many  business  men,  as  it  has  the  air  of  presuming  that  the  re- 
quest for  information  will  be  granted  when,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  recipient  of  the  request  has  a  theoretical  right,  at 
least,  to  grant  it  or  not,  as  he  sees  fit. 

A  letter  of  information  should  answer  exactly,  in  the  few- 
est possible  words,  and,  usually,  in  the  same  order,  all  ques- 
tions contained  in  the  letter  of  inquiry.  If  questions  are  asked 
in  tabular  form,  they  should,  if  possible,  be  answered  in  the 
same  form. 

If  the  information  is  asked  for  in  a  general  way,  the  writer 
should  be  none  the  less  careful  to  see  that  every  essential  detail 
is  given  in  the  reply,  else  the  correspondence  will  be  doubled 
unnecessarily  by  a  second  letter,  requesting  further  particu- 
lars. 

Enclosing  a  Stamp  for  Reply.  If  the  information  sought  is 
for  the  benefit  of  the  first  party  only,  he  should  enclose  a  stamp 
or  a  self-addressed  envelope  for  reply.  For  instance,  if  a  high 
school  boy  is  writing  to  the  manufacturers  of  a  certain  kind  of 
canoe  that  he  saw  advertised  in  a  magazine,  he  will  not  need 
to  enclose  a  stamp  or  envelope,  as  his  inquiry  is  the  result  of 
the  advertisement  and,  by  giving  him  the  information  he  de- 
nrei,  the  firm  may  be  able  to  make  a  sale.  But  if  this  same 
boy  is  writing  to  the  dean  of  the  law  school  of  his  state  uni- 
ity  for  information  as  to  the  proper  interpretation  of  the 


42  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

question  he  is  to  debate  in  the  inter-school  debate,  he  will 
enclose  a  stamp  or  stamped  envelope  for  reply,  since  the  law 
school  professor  does  not  derive  any  benefit  from  answering 
his  letter. 


(printed  letter  head  here) 


Howard,  Kansas,  Aug.  22,  19  — 


The  Monarch  Note  Book  Co., 
St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Dear  Sirs: 

We  are  again  on  the  market  for  loose  leaf  note  books 
for  school  use,  the  supply  we  purchased  from  you  last  year  hav- 
ing proved  entirely  satisfactory. 

Please  send  us  prices  on  all  the  styles  of  cover  and 
filler  that  are  used  in  the  public  schools. 

We  will  appreciate  a  prompt  reply,  as  the  nearness  of 
the  opening  of  schools  makes  it  necessary  for  us  to  place  our 
order  soon,  especially  if  you  do  not  have  the  books  in  stock 
and  have  to  manufacture  them  to  order. 

Very  truly  yours, 


I.   REQUEST  FOR  PRICES 


LETTERS   OF   INQUIRY   AND   INFORMATION  43 

(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 

St.    Joseph,   Mo.,    August   21,    19--. 


:r.  - , 

Principal  of  the  High  School, 
Howard,  Kansas. 

Dear  Sir: 

We  have  your  letter  of  Aug.  19,  with  reference  to 
prices  on  note  book  supplies  such  as  you  used  last  year. 

The  price  of  paper  stock  has  been  so  uncertain  for 
the  past  sixty  days  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  issue  a 
printed  price  list.   Paper  has  advanced  80$  since  last  year, 
and  there  is  danger  of  another  advance  the  first  of  the  month, 

As  yet,  we  have  not  changed  our  prices  on  note  book 
covers.  We  have  also  left  the  retail  prices  of  filler  pa- 
per the  same  as  last  year,  but  we  have  been  compelled  to  re- 
duce the  number  of  sheets  per  filler. 

In  compliance  with  your  request,  with  the  above  ex- 
planation, we  quote  you  retail  prices  as  follows: 


Cover 

No 

.31   per  copy 

.10 

t» 

ii 

41    "    ■ 

.15 

»i 

10 

.20 

Filler 

14  (24  folded  sheets) 

per 

filler 

.05 

it 

15  (2  booklets) 

ii 

ii 

.10 

it 

16  (24  folded  sheets) 

ii 

ii 

.07 

ti 

34  (12   ■      "    ) 

.ii 

ii 

.05 

ii 

44A(15   ■ 

ii 

it 

.10 

All  of  the  above  prices  are  subject  to  a  discount 
of  20$  f.o.b.  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

We  will  be  pleased  to  receive  your  order  at  an  early 
date. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Monarch  Note  Book  Co., 

By '- -i  . 

Pres. 

II.      QUOTATION   OF  PRICES  IN   RESPONSE  TO   LETTER   ON 
PRECEDING  PAGE 


44  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


Dear  Sir: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  28th.  ult.,  it  gives 
me  pleasure  to  testify  to  the  business  ability  of  Mr.  Hiram  K. 
Bennett. 

As  President  of  the  Bee  Hive  Paper  Box  Company,  Mr. 
Bennett  is  building  up  what  promises  to  be  one  of  the  flourish- 
ing manufacturing  institutions  of  our  city.   He  has  shown  a 
great  deal  of  push  and  energy  and  it  was  a  recognition  of 
these  qualities  in  him  that  lead  to  his  appointment  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Convention  Committee  of  the Cham- 
ber of  Commerce. 

In  addition  to  his  aggressiveness,  I  believe  he  has 
a  sufficient  amount  of  conservatism  to  make  him  safe,  so 
that  you  should  have  no  fear  of  giving  him  credit  and  will, 
no  doubt,  find  In  him  a  very  desirable  customer. 
Very  truly  yours, 


III.   INFORMATION  ON  BUSINESS  ABILITY— FAVORABLE 


LETTERS   OP    INQUIRY    AND    INFORMATION 


Dear  Sir: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  ult.,  In  which 
you  requested  information  as  to  the  business  ability  of  Hiram 
K.  Bennett, I  regret  to  say  that  I  have  not  had  the  opportunity 
of  knowing  Mr.  Bennett  long  enough  to  form  an  opinion.   He  has 
within  the  past  three  months,  come  to  our  city  and  opened  the 
Bee  Hive  Paper  Box  Company,  of  which  he   is  President.   He  has 

also  joined  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 

seems  to  be  making  a  favorable  impression  upon  the  bus'ness 
men  of  our  city.  Yet  I  hesitate  to  recommend  him  upon  such 
slight  acquaintance. 

Very  truly  yours, 


INFORMATION    ON    BUSINESS    ABILITY       INCOMPLETE 


Dear  Sir: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  January  29,  I  regret 
to  say  that  I  am  unable  to  give  you  any  satisfactory  informa- 
tion relative  to  the  person  about  whom  you  inquire. 

Very  truly  yours, 


V.      INFORMATION   ON    BU8INE8S    WHI.ITY — UNFAVORAHLK 


46  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

EXPLANATION  OF  MODEL  LETTERS 

Number  I  is  a  request  for  prices  on  note  book  covers  and  fillers 
from  a  school  principal  to  a  manufacturer  of  these  supplies.  The  letter 
is  terse  and,  at  the  same  time,  courteous.  It  is  also  well  constructed 
and  free  from  over-used  phrases. 

Number  II  is  a  letter  of  information  in  reply  to  Number  I.  It  is 
to  be  noted  that  the  quotation  of  prices  is  in  tabular  form.  Single 
spacing  between  the  lines  and  double  spacing  between  the  paragraphs 
make  it  possible  to  get  the  letter  on  one  sheet. 

Numbers  III,  IV,  and  V  illustrate  the  three  possibilities  in  a  letter 
of  information  on  business  ability  and  financial  standing — favorable, 
incomplete,  and  unfavorable.  In  the  first  two,  only  as  much  is  given  as 
is  required  to  meet  the  situation.  The  name  of  the  person  referred  to 
in  V  is  omitted,  in  accordance  with  the  principle  stated  on  page  40. 

EXERCISES  FOR  WRITTEN  AND  ORAL  PRACTICE 

1.  Imagine  that  you  are  the  editor  of  your  school  Annual.     Write 
a  letter  to  the  J.  W.  Butler  Paper  Company  of  Chicago,  stating 

this  fact  and  requesting  them  to  send  samples  of  some  of  the  white 
book  papers  that  are  suitable  for  this  purpose.  State  that  you  would 
like  to  get  something  exclusive  in  appearance,  but  not  too  high  in  price. 
Mention  the  fact  that  the  paper  need  not  be  suitable  for  half-tone  print- 
ing, as  you  intend  to  tip  in  the  half-tones.  Ask  them  whether  they 
maintain  a  service  department  and  also  whether  they  publish  anything 
that  will  be  helpful  to  you  in  getting  out  your  book. 

2.  As  a  correspondence  clerk  of  the  J.  W.  Butler  Paper  Company, 
answer    the    above    letter    by    giving    the    following    information, 

after  acknowledging  the  previous  letter:  You  are  sending,  by  Parcel 
Post,  samples  of  five  different  kinds  of  white  paper  that  are  intended 
especially  for  use  in  such  publications:  Cameo  Plate  Coated — a  dull 
finish ;  Lustre  Coated — glossy  surface ;  Snowflake  Coated — regular 
finish ;  Artogravure — egg  shell  finish ;  Printone — imitation  coated,  glossy 
surface.  (Arrange  these  names  in  tabular  form.)  If  none  of  these 
seem  to  answer  the  purpose,  the  firm  will  be  very  glad  to  tend  more 
samples.  State  that  they  do  not  publish  anything  on  how  to  get  out 
a  school  Annual,  but  that  they  have  a  Service  Department  that  will  be 
ready  and  willing  to  give  the  benefit  of  its  long  experience.  Express 
thanks  for  the  inquiry  and  the  hope  that  the  firm  will  have  the  pleasure 
of  an  order.     Be  careful  of  the  paragraph  structure. 


I. UTTERS   OF    IXQUIRY   AXD   INFORMATION  47 

3.  The  Marshall  Wells  Hardware  Company  of  Duluth,  Minn.,  has  re- 
ceived a  letter  of  application  from  Worth  Wright,  who  has  just 

been  graduated  from  the  Duluth  Central  Business  College,  and  states  in 

his  letter  that  he  graduated  from High  School  in 

19 Write  their  letter  to  the  principal  of High  School, 

asking  for  such  information  as  they  might  care  to  have  before  giving 
Mr.  Wright  a  place  in  their  advertising  department,  with  good  prospects 
of  a  permanent  position  and  promotion. 

4.  Write  a  favorable  reply  from  the  school  principal,  giving  an  ac- 
count <>f  Wright's  high  standing  In  bis  classes,  and  popularity  and 

prominence  as  a  student.     Close  with  a  strong  recommendation. 

5.  Instead  of  the  above,   write  an   incomplete  letter  of  information 
from  the  principal,  in  which  you  state  that  the  records  show  that 

Wright  had  high  standing  as  a  student,  but  that  you  have  not  had  the 
pleasure  of  his  acquaintance,  ns  be  graduated  before  your  administra- 
tion began.  You  tried  to  get  some  information  from  his  former  teachers, 
but  neither  of  the  two  who  are  still  in  the  school  was  able  to  remember 
him. 

•  ;.  Write  an  unfavorable  reply  from  the  principal.  Wright  had  a  fair 
record  as  a  student,  but  was  lacking  in  initiative,  somewhat  inclined 
to  be  lazy,  and  careless  of  his  personal  appearance.  Express  regret  at 
baring  to  give  such  an  unfavorable  reply  about  a  graduate,  and  state 
th.it  if  Wright  still  has  these  faults  that  experience  and  responsibility 
might  help  him  to  overcome  them. 

7.  You  formerly  lived  on  a  farm  near  Goodland,  Ind.  Your  father, 
or  guardian,  has  recently  advertised  the  farm  in  the  classified 
columns  of  a  newspaper  of  a  nearby  town.  He  has  just  received  a  re- 
MU'st  from  James  BL  Gould,  821  Walnut  Street,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  for 
more  detailed  information.  Write  ,i  reply,  based  upon  the  following  data  : 
Introduction  -  acknowledgment  of  Inquiry,  including  date  and  brief  sum- 
mary of  contents.  Body — the  following  points:  Location — two  miles 
north  and  one  mile  west  of  Goodland;  on  a  main  graveled  road;  outside 
tO-called  "sand  rldgO"  country,  which  is  Dearly  a  mile  north.  Drainage 
— farm  well  drained:  dredged  ditch  extending  nearly  to  east  line;  all 
t tic  land  h.is  ;i  good  slope  toward  the  ditch;  nearly  all  tiled.  Cultiva- 
tion north  eighty  has  some  good  standing  timber;  about  one  hundred 
acres  in  bay;  remainder  in  cultivated  crops.  Buildings — good;  eight 
room  house,  large  barn,  granary,  chicken  house,  etc.;  ail  in  excellent 
condition  and  newly  painted    Trice-  |128  per  sere;  terms,  $5,000  cash; 


48  COMMERCIAL   BNGLLSB 

balance,  first  mortgage  at  6%.  Conclusion— thanks  for  the  Inquiry  and 
appropriate  close. 

8.  You  have  just  received  a  letter  from  Henry  J.  McKee,  312  E.  Third 
Street,  Rock  Island,  111.,  in  which  he  states  that  he  is  about  to  open 

a  book  store,  with  fair  prospects  of  success.  He  requests  that  he  may 
open  an  account  with  you.  Believing  that  your  decision  will  be  favor- 
able, he  incloses  his  first  order.  Write  a  reply  for  your  firm,  C.  &  G. 
Bromwell,  372  Broadway.  Now  York,  in  which  you  regret  to  say  that 
McKee  is  a  stranger  to  you  and  that  yon  will  have  to  require  him  either 
to  furnish  references  or  send  a  draft  for  the  amount  of  the  order.  Ex- 
plain that  this  is  a  regular  practice  with  your  firm.  Close  with  a  tact- 
ful phrase. 

9.  The  Standard  Wholesale  Grocery  Company  of  Louisville,  Ky..  has 
received  the  application  of  J.  C.  Palmer  for  a  position  as  traveling 

salesman.  They  write  to  the  National  Grocery  Company  of  Pittsburgh, 
one  of  his  references  and  formerly  his  employers,  for  information  as  to 
his  character  and  ability.  Prepare  their  reply,  as  follows:  strictly 
honest,  conscientious  in  regard  to  duty  towards  employers ;  has  much 
natural  ability  as  salesman,  quick  to  learn  personality  of  customers, 
courteous  in  manner  of  approach,  takes  a  real  interest  in  the  line  he 
has  to  sell,  clever  and  tactful  in  speech;  reason  for  leaving  their  employ 
— had  opportunity  to  secure  better  salary  than  they  were  able  to  pay. 

10.  Mr of owner  of  the 

baseball  team  in  the league,  writes  to  his  manager 

to  learn  why  the  team  was  not  able  to  finish  the  season  higher  than 
third  place.  Write  the  manager's  reply,  which  contains  the  following: 
took  team  when  it  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  get  good  players,  at- 
tendance did  not  warrant  paying  price  to  get  good  players  later  on.  lack 
of  support  of  team  by  fans,  because  of  contest  for  city  championship  of 

manufacturing  company's  teams,  injuries  to  players 

star  left  fielder  broke  his  leg,  ,  the  best  catcher,  out  of 

game  for  month  with  sprained  wrist,  lack  of  experienced  pitchers,  two 
or  three  bad  "hitting  slumps."  Close  with  statement  that  the  spirit 
of  the  players  was  fine,  that  they  worked  hard  to  get  third  place,  and 
that  with  two  or  three  strong  players  added  to  the  team  and  good 
training  quarters  in  the  spring,  the  team  ought  to  win  the  pennant  next 
year. 

11.  The Clipping  Service  of * has  made  clip- 
pings from  all  the  newspapers  of  the  state  concerning  the  various 

candidates  that  were  nominated  at  the  recent  Republican  state  conven 


I.ITTKUS    OF    INQUIRY    AM)    INFORMATION  49 

tion.  You  are  to  prepare  a  letter  to  be  sent  to candi- 
date for  Congress  from  the  Tenth  District.  They  read  in  their  office 
all  the  newspapers  of  any  importance  published  in  the  state.  From 
these  papers  they  have  collected  all  matter  that  has  to  do  with  his  can- 
didacy. It  would  be  valuable  to  him  as  campaign  material  and  to  the 
state  organisation  as  a  matter  of  permanent  record.  Their  charge  for 
the  clippings  will  be  five  dollars,  which  must  appeal  as  very  reasonable, 
considering  the  amount  of  labor  involved  in  the  service.  Complete  the 
letter  by  adding  an  effective  appeal  and  an  appropriate  close. 

11'.     Write  or  dictate  a  letter  to  the  Registrar  of College 

from  a  student  who  is  about  to  graduate  from  the  high  school,  re- 
m  nesting  catalog  and  other  information.  State  the  work  completed  in 
the  high  school  and  the  course  contemplated  in  college.  Include  any 
other  information  that  would  be  natural  in  such  a  letter,  as,  for  in- 
stance, questions  about  entrance  examinations  and  living  expenses. 

13.  Write  or  dictate  the  reply  of  the  Registrar  of  the  college,  acknowl- 
edging the  first  letter  of  inquiry  and  referring  to  the  catalog,  which 
lias  been  sent  under  separate  ever.  Give  all  the  information  required 
by  the  letter  of  Inquiry  and  any  other  information  that  would  call  atten- 
tion to  or  supplement  the  catalog.  Some  of  the  things  that  might  be 
emphasised  are:  the  age  of  the  college,  its  endowment,  the  moderate 
tuition  and  cost  of  living,  athletic  standing,  and  social  advantages. 

1  J.  You  mic  about  to  open  a  store  at  896  W.  Michigan  Street,  Buffalo, 
V  V..  and  will  carry  a  full  line  of  high  class  china  and  cut  glass. 
For  fifteen  years  you  bare  been  manager  of  the  National  China  and  Cut 
apany  of  Philadelphia.  The  firm  that  you  are  just  leaving 
has  recommended  that  you  carry  a  line  of  "Syracuse  China,"  which  is 
made  by  the  Onondaga  Pottery  Company  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Write  them 
for  Information  as  to  the  class  of  trade  these  goods  appeal  to,  terms  on 
which  they  are  sold  t«>  dealers,  guarantee  against  breakage  in  shipping. 
number  of  patterns  required  to  make  a  complete  stock,  possibility  of 
opening  an  account,  etc  Bequest  thai  they  send  you  their  "Illustrated 
Boos  on  china."  and  state  that  the  firm  referred  to  above  has  given 
you  the  liberty  of  using  their  name  as  a  reference.  Pay  special  atten- 
tion to  arranging  the  Menu  of  the  letter  in  the  best  possible  order. 

IS.    Write  the  reply  of  the  Onondaga  Pottery  Company  to  the  above 
tetter. 

HI.      You  read  in  a  magazine  the  advertisement  of  a  $1,000  prize  contest 
for  Writing  moving  picture  plots.      IfO  previous  experience  or  e\ten 


50  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

sivo  education  is  required.  Imagination  and  originality  are  all  that  are 
necessary.  You  become  interested  and  desire  full  particulars.  Write 
the  letter. 

17.  E.  C.  Bennett,  of  Norwalk,  Ohio,  became  very  much  Interested   in 
the  19 model  of  the  Detroit  Electric  at  the  Ohio  State  Fair. 

Write  his  letter  to  the  local  agency  of  the  company,  embodying  this  fact 
and  requesting  complete  information. 

The  Detroit  Electric  Sales  Company  acknowledge  the  above,  are 
sending  catalog  under  separate  cover,  and  will  be  glad  to  demonstrate 
the  car.     Write  or  dictate  their  letter  to  Mr.  Bennett. 

18.  Fay  E.   Bell,  3054   Superior  Street,  Duluth,   Minn.,   writes   to   the 
Agency  Division  of  the  Curtis  Publishing  Company,  Independence 

Square,  Philadelphia,  to  learn  how  she  may  make  money  during  the 
summer  vacation  by  taking  subscriptions  for  the  "Ladies'  Home  Jour- 
nal," as  advertised  in  that  magazine  in  the  last  number.  Prepare  her 
letter. 

19.  A  mother  is  interested  in  Camp  "Pokegama,"  which  is  advertised 
in  one  of  the  popular  magazines  as  an  ideal  place  for  a  girl  to 

spend  the  summer.     In  reply  to  the  advertisement,  write  a  letter  from 

her  to  Mrs.  Stanton  Brown  of ,  who  is  to  conduct 

the  camp,  for  information.  Ask  for  particulars  upon  the  following 
points  and  any  others  likely  to  be  contained  in  such  a  letter: 
date  of  opening  and  closing,  number  limited,  terms,  location  of  camp, 
amusements,  sleeping  quarters,  meals,  and  educational  advantages.  Ar- 
range in  the  best  possible  manner. 

20.  A  young  man  who  was  about  to  enter  business  for  himself,  wrote 
for  advice  to  one  of  his  friends,  an  experienced  business  man,  be- 
fore starting  out.  The  letter  that  he  received  contained  the  following 
good  advice.  Arrange  it  in  the  best  order.  "Do  not  commence  business 
when  times  are  dull.  Do  not  try  to  establish  yourself  before  you  have 
sufficient  funds.  Be  exact  and  punctual  in  filling  engagements.  Reply 
immediately  to  all  letters.  Conduct  yourself  toward  everybody  with 
civility.  Be  honest,  upright,  etc."  Complete  the  letter  with  any  other 
suggestions  that  occur  to  you. 


CHAPTER  IV 

LETTERS  ORDERING  GOODS 

The  Need  of  Care.  While  it  is  important  that  every  letter 
be  written  carefully,  if  it  is  to  represent  adequately  all  parties 
concerned  in  the  transaction  of  business,  there  are  special  rea- 
sons why  unusual  care  should  be  exercised  in  writing  letters 
ordering  goods.     These  may  be  stated  briefly  as  follows : 

1.  Letters  ordering  goods  have  a  direct  relation  to  business  in  that 
they  affect  the  capital  of  the  buyer  and  the  goods  of  the  seller. 
A  mistake,  therefore,  means  financial  loss  to  one  or  the  other. 

2.  Errors  cause  not  only  financial  loss,  but  also  a  reflection  upon 
the  business  ability  or  methods  of  those  who  make  them. 

3.  Statements  contained  in  such  letters  are  often  legally  binding, 
since  buyer  and  seller,  through  them,  become  parties  to  a 
contract 

Points  to  Be  Remembered.  The  following  are  the  most  im- 
portant points  to  be  kept  in  mind  when  writing  letters  order- 
ing goods: 

1.  Every  article  ordered  should  be  described  in  such  a  way  that 
there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  what  is  meant  on  the  part  of  the 
one  who  is  to  fill  the  order. 

2.  The  buyer  should  give  his  full  name  and  address. 

3.  Shipping  directions  should  be  exactly  stated. 

4.  If  money  is  enclosed  with  the  order,  it  should  be  referred  to 
definitely  by  giving  the  form  in  which  it  is  sent  and  the  exact 
amount 

5.  Words  or  figures  that  express  quantity,  size,  color,  etc.,  should 
be  written  with  special  care. 

The  Description  of  the  Article.  The  purpose  of  describing 
goods,  either  in  an  advertisement  or  in  a  catalog,  is  to  enable 
the  prospective  purchaser  to  arrive  at  a  fair  estimate  of  .the 

51 


5-2  <<>umi;i;ci  \|.    i:\GLISIl 

value  of  the  article  he  is  about  to  purchase.  Cuts  are  fre- 
quently used  to  show  the  style  or  design,  so  that  the 
judgment  may  be  based  upon  the  sense  of  sight,  rather 
than  entirely  upon  imagination.  The  prospective  ship- 
per takes  it  for  granted  that  the  information  given  by 
description  or  cut,  or  both,  is  sufficient  to  enable  the 
prospective  purchaser  to  buy  intelligently;  if  the  de- 
scription is  not  complete,  he  must  write  for  additional  in- 
formation before  placing  his  order.  If  a  mistake  in  judg- 
ment is  made  by  the  purchaser,  it  is  largely  optional  with  the 
seller  whether  he  shall  do  anything  to  make  good  the  error.  If 
the  goods  were  exactly  as  represented,  it  may  become  neces- 
sarily the  duty  of  the  purchaser  to  keep  them,  even  if  they  do 
not  prove  to  be  exactly  what  he  thought  they  would  be  or  even 
what  he  wants.  Usually  the  best  that  can  be  expected  in  such 
a  case  is  that  the  shipper  refund  the  buyer's  money,  less  the 
shipping  charges  both  ways.  .  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance, 
therefore,  that  the  writer  of  a  letter  ordering  goods  read  care- 
fully the  description  of  the  article  or  articles  he  is  about  to 
purchase,  noting  such  details  as  size,  weight,  material,  color. 
style,  pattern,  finish,  etc. 


^-"C^;.  l*^»i»tt^r^>v        —This  beautiful  pattern  cloti^ 
<&'"«.  .'^vsiansrens^^  -,'  «,.l  J\      pictured  is  a  combination  de 


sign — Greek  key  border  with 
chrysanthemum  center.  Pure 
Irish  linen. 

Size    70  x    70   inches,   $4.85 

Size   70  x    88    inches,   $5.85 

Size   70::10G    inches,   $6.85 

Napkins  to  match,  $6.80  doz. 

■ — These  famous  linens  retain  their  rich  luster  and  are  guaran- 
teed to  launder  as  only  genuine  Irish  linens  do. 

— We   are   showing   Derryvale    linen    pattern   cloths    in    twenty- 
eight  distinct  designs  with  napkins  to  match. 

— Second  floov' 

DESCRIPTION   TAKEN    FROM   A   TRADE   BULLETIN 


LETTERS  ORDERING  GOODS  5? 

Name  and  Address.  The  importance  of  giving  the  name 
and  address,  correctly  and  in  full,  is  to  secure  the  delivery  of 
the  goods  without  delay  and  needless  expense.  To  deliver  an 
express  package  to  John  Smith,  Philadelphia,  might  require  a 
week's  time  before  the  proper  John  Smith  could  be  located. 
To  avoid  such  unnecessary  delays  and  trouble,  the  writer 
should  give  the  full  name  and  street  address,  as  well  as  post 
office  address.  Example :  John  C.  Smith,  3457  Center  Street, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

If  the  writer  has  any  doubt  as  to  the  spelling  of  the  ab- 
breviation of  a  state,  he  should  either  look  it  up  or  spell  it  out 
in  full.  Miss,  may  be  intended  for  Missouri,  but  the  shipment 
will  go  to  Mississippi,  because  the  official  abbreviation  of  Mis- 
souri is  Mo. 

Shipping  Directions.  Shipping  directions  include  two 
things:  (1)  how  to  ship — freight,  express,  parcels  post,  etc.: 
(2)  the  exact  name  of  the  carrier — Baltimore  &  Ohio  R.  R., 
Fall  River  Steamship  Company,  National  Express  Com- 
pany, etc. 

When  to  Ship  by  Freight.  It  is  best  to  ship  by  freight  when  the 
goods  are  of  great  weight  or  bulk,  when  there  is  plenty  of  time,  or  when 
■  lew  transportation  charge  is  desired  on  a  package  that  might  other- 
wise be  sent  by  parcels  post  or  express. 

When  to  Ship  by  Express  or  Parcels  Post*  The  use  of  parcels  post 
In  preference  to  express  will  depend  upon  the  limits  of  weight  in  the 
various  zones,  the  exclusion  of  certain  articles  from  the  service,  etc.  In 
general,  goods  are  sent  either  by  parcels  post  or  express  when  they  are 
of  more  than  ordinary  value  and  require  insurance,  when  they  are  easily 
broken,  when  they  are  of  moderate  weight,  or  when  delivery  is  required 
within  a  short  time. 

State  the  Name  of  the  Carrier.  The  writer  of  a  letter 
ordering  goods  will  find  it  a  wise  policy  to  state  exactly  the 
name  of  the  carrier  that  is  to  transport  the  goods.  For  in- 
stance, it  is  possible  to  send  a  freight  shipment  from  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  by  rail,  or  by  boat,  at  certain  times 


54  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

of  the  year.  If  a  firm  received  a  letter,  in  such  a  case,  stating 
merely  that  the  goods  were  to  be  shipped  by  freight,  it  would 
be  necessary  to  consult  the  files  to  see  whether  the  customer 
preferred  rail  or  boat  freight,  and  if  it  should  be  found  that 
he  used  both  ways,  it  would  be  necessary  to  write  to  him  to 
find  out  which  he  preferred  in  this  particular  case,  thus  caus- 
ing unnecessary  delay.  Local  conditions  also  make  a  differ- 
ence as  to  what  express  company  is  preferable,  so  that  it  is  well 
to  give  explicit  directions  in  the  letter  ordering  the  goods. 

Enclosing  Money.  Money  sent  loose  in  a  letter  is  always 
at  the  sender's  risk.  Small  amounts  may  be  sent  in  stamps  or 
in  coin  cards.  Amounts  of  one  dollar  or  more  should  be  sent 
by  post  office  money  order,  express  money  order,  bank  draft, 
certified  check,  or  personal  check  if  the  buyer  is  well  known 
to  the  seller  and  of  good  financial  standing.  The  form  in  which 
the  money  is  sent  and  the  exact  amount  should  be  specified  so 
that  this  part  of  the  business  may  be  properly  taken  care  of 
and  not  overlooked  and  so  that  the  remittance  may  become  a 
matter  of  record  when  the  letter  is  filed.  In  sending  money 
with  an  order  it  is  better  to  use  a  money  order  than  to  send  the 
money  in  a  registered  letter,  as  the  sender  is  protected  by  the 
money  order  system  from  the  possible  dishonesty  of  the  seller, 
who  might  claim  that  he  received  the  letter,  but  that  the  sender 
forgot  or  neglected  to  enclose  the  money. 

Terms  of  Payment.  Every  letter  containing  an  order 
should  specify  the  terms  of  payment.  In  case  of  regular  cus- 
tomers who  have  charge  accounts  this  is  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary, but  even  then  it  is  a  good  practice.  Any  uncertainty  on 
this  point  will  almost  invariably  bring  a  letter  of  inquiry  for 
information,  which  means  an  unnecessary  delay  in  shipment. 
The  most  common  terms  on  which  goods  are  sold  are:  cash 
with  order,  on  account,  special  discount  if  paid  for  in  a  certain 
number  of  days  (30,  60,  90)  or  before  a  certain  day  of  the 
month  (usually  the  10th),  part  payment  in  cash  with  the  bal- 
ance on  time,  C.  0.  D.,  and  cash  on  approval.     Before  opening 


LETTERS  ORDERING  GOODS  55 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 


37  Main  Street, 
Carmel,  Ind.,  February  24,  19-- 


Schnull  &  Company, 

110  South  Meridian  Street, 
Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Gentlemen: 

Please  ship  to  us,  at  the  above  address,  the  follow- 
ing list  of  goods: 

2  doz.  bx.   Morton's  Table  Salt 

3  "    "    Sun-Maid  Raisins 

4  pails      Salted  Breakfast  Mackerel 
10  -  48  lb.   Washburn  Crosby  XXXX  Flour 

2  cs.        Shredded  Wheat 

1  bunch      Bananas  -  fancy 

1  bbl.       Grimes  Golden  Apples 

3  "        Baldwin  Apples 

2  doz.  qt.   Van  Camp's  Pork  and  Beans  -with  sauce 

Ship  by  Indiana  Union  Traction  freight  so  as  to 
reach  us  not  later  than  Friday  evening  and  charge  to  us. 

Very  truly  yours, 


LETTER  ORDERING  GOODS,  SHOWING  TABULATION  OF  ORDER 


56  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

accounts  with  strangers,  firms  require  suitable  references  or 
consult  a  rating  agency ;  as,  Dun  or  Bradstreet. 

Tabular  Form.  The  form  of  a  letter  ordering  goods  differs 
from  an  ordinary  letter  only  in  that  the  items  contained  in  the 
order  are  arranged  in  tabular  form.  This  has  a  twofold  ad- 
vantage. It  enables  the  person  who  reads  the  letter  to  note 
readily  the  items  and  the  shipping  clerk  to  check  off  the  items 
as  they  are  assembled,  if  the  original  letter,  or  a  copy,  goes  to 
the  shipping  room. 

Tabular  Form  in  Quotation  of  Prices.  The  tabular  form  is 
used  in  letters  requesting  or  giving  quotations  of  prices.  If 
the  preceding  letter  had  requested  prices  on  the  articles  instead 
of  ordering  them,  the  form  would  have  been  the  same. 

Ordering  from  Catalogs.  In  ordering  goods  from  the 
catalog  of  a  firm,  if  you  do  not  have  their  current  catalog  be 
careful  to  state  what  catalog  you  are  using.  Arrange  the  items 
of  the  order  in  tabular  form  and  give  every  fact  that  is  given 
in  the  catalog  that  will  help  to  identify  the  articles  ordered. 
The  following  is  the  tabulation  of  an  order  of  silverware  from 
a  retailer  to  a  well  known  wholesale  house,  the  items  being 
given  exactly  as  they  are  to  be  found  in  the  catalog : 

Relish  Dish $60.00 

Caviar  Dish   16.00 

Oyster  Set  18.00 

Cheese  Dish   10.50 

Jam  Jar  and  Spoon 6.00 

Jam  Jar  and  Spoon 5.00 

Tea  Caddy  8.75 

Tea  Caddy 10.50 

Hot  Milk   16.00 

Call  Bell,  plain   6.75 

Call  Bell,  engraved  8.75 

Call  Bell,  etched  10.00 


1 

No. 

112 

3 

4 

u 

507 
1068 

4 

" 

1129 

4 

" 

732 

5 

M 

1125 

1 

<< 

71 

1 

U 

72 

5 

" 

593 

6 

M 

1155 

2 

" 

1155 

1 

" 

95 

LETTERS  ORDERING  GOODS  57 

Miscellaneous  Hints. 

Begin  each  item  on  a  separate  line. 
Punctuation  at  the  end  of  lines  is  unnecessary. 
Indicate  quantity  by  figures  rather  than  words. 
Capitalize  the  names  of  articles. 

Subscriptions  for  Magazines.  A  letter  accompanying  a  sub- 
scription for  a  magazine  should  contain  the  following  items: 

1.  Reference  to  the  amount  enclosed  and  the  form  in  which  it  is 
sent 

2.  The  name  of  the  magazine  to  be  sent.  Some  publishing  houses 
publish  more  than  one  magazine.  For  instance,  the  Curtis  Pub- 
lishing Company  of  Philadelphia  publishes  "The  Ladies'  Home 
Journal,"  "The  Saturday  Evening  Post,"  and  "The  Country 
Gentleman." 

3.  The  exact  address  to  which  it  is  to  be  sent 

4.  The  time  when  the  subscription  is  to  begin  and  end  or  the  time 
when  it  is  to  begin  and  the  length  of  time  it  is  to  run. 

Gentlemen: 

Enclosed  please  find  $1.50  for  which  send  me  your  maga- 
zine. 

Very  truly  yours, 

FAULTY  LETTER 

Gentlemen: 

Enclosed  please  find  express  money  order  for  $1.50  for  which 
send  me  to  my  address,  1435  Bever  Avenue,  "The  Ladles  Home  Journal" 
for  one  year,  beginning  with  the  October  number. 
Very  truly  yours, 

CORRECT  LETTER 

Acknowledging  an  Order.  While  it  is  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  acknowledge  an  order,  the  practice  is  now  being  fol- 
lowed  by  nearly   all   progressive   firms.     It   becomes   almost 


58  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

necessary  to  acknowledge  an  order  if  it  is  for  goods  that  are 
to  be  manufactured  and  delivered  at  a  distant  date,  so  that  the 
buyer  may  know  that  his  order  has  been  received  and  that  the 
process  of  manufacture  will  be  started  in  due  time.  In  any 
case,  the  acknowledgment  of  an  order  is  courteous,  shows  ap- 
preciation of  business,  and  tends  to  encourage  the  good  will  of 
the  customer.  The  customer  is  usually  much  interested  at  the 
time  of  ordering;  the  acknowledgment  of  the  order  serves  to 
keep  alive  this  interest  and  creates  a  good  feeling  that  makes 
for  future  business.  Some  firms  use  a  regular  form  card  for 
these  acknowledgments,  while  others  much  prefer  to  send  a 
personal  letter.  It  is  well,  in  acknowledging  an  order,  to  re- 
peat not  only  the  order,  but  any  unusual  directions. 


Dear  Sir: 

We  are  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  June  20,  contain- 
ing an  order  for  one  New  Era  Washing  Machine,  Model  C,  electric. 

We  will  ship  the  washer  so  as  to  make  delivery  by 
June  26,  via  American  Express  and  Express  Parcel  Delivery, 
C.  0.  D.,  as  you  request. 

Undoubtedly  the  washer  will  give  you  good  satisfaction. 

We  thank  you  for  the  order. 

Very  truly  youri, 

LETTER  ACKNOWLEDGING  AN  ORDER 

Orders  and  Business  Contracts.  The  general  subject  of 
contracts  should  be  taught  in  commercial  law  rather  than  in 
commercial  English,  because  many  of  its  phases  are  not  directly 
concerned  with  correspondence.  However,  there  are  a  few 
simple  rules  and  principles  that  are  closely  related  to  buying 
and  selling  goods.     They  may  be  stated  briefly  as  follows : 


LETTBRS   ORDERING  GOODS  59 

If  A  makes  an  offer  to  B  by  mail  or  telegraph,  he  impliedly  makes 
the  post  office  or  the  telegraph  company  his  agent 

If  A  makes  an  offer  to  B  by  mail,  telegraph,  or  by  his  office  boy  and 
makes  no  statement  in  the  offer  as  to  when  the  acceptance  is  to  be  re- 
ceived, as  soon  as  B  has  his  acceptance  in  the  possession  of  the  agent 
through  whom  the  offer  was  made,  the  contract  is  bound.  If  A  makes 
an  offer  to  B  by  mail  and  nothing  is  said  as  to  when  the  acceptance  is 
to  be  received,  B  may  bind  the  contract  more  quickly  by  a  letter  than 
by  a  telegram,  because  the  contract  is  bound  as  soon  as  his  acceptance 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  postal  authorities,  while,  if  he  telegraphs,  the  con- 
tract is  not  bound  until  the  telegraphic  acceptance  is  received,  because 
B  did  not  use  A's  agent.  If  A  makes  the  offer  by  telegram,  B  can  accept 
it  most  quickly  by  telegram,  because  the  contract  is  completed  as  soon 
as  he  hands  his  message  to  the  telegraph  company. 

If  B's  acceptance  is  delayed  for  any  reason,  A  is  bound  if  B  has 
complied  with  the  demands  of  the  offer,  as  just  stated.  If  A  should 
infer  that  B  did  not  accept  the  offer  because  he  has  not  received  his 
acceptance  and  should  sell  the  commodity  he  offered  B,  to  C  at  a 
higher  price,  B  can  recover  from  A  an  amount  equal  to  the  increase  Id 
price. 

All  these  possibilities  make  it  advisable  that  in  case  an  offer  ia 
being  made  of  a  commodity  that  is  subject  to  change  in  price,  the  one 
making  the  offer  state  that  it  is  conditional  on  the  receipt  of  the  accept- 
ance within  a  specified  time.    The  following  is  a  possible  form : 

Dear  Sir: 

I  hereby  offer  you  one  thousand  bushels  of  A  1 
flour  wheat  at  $2.05  per  bushel,  provided  acceptance  is 
received  not  later  than  twelve  o'clock  noon  of  July 
twenty-first. 

Very  truly  yours, 

An  offer  made  by  mail  may  be  withdrawn  by  telegram,  provided 
the  notice  of  withdrawal  reaches  the  second  party  before  he  has  had 
time  to  accept  the  offer. 

Offers  or  prices  In  business  circulars  do  not  bind  contracts  when 
accepted  by  the  persons  to  whom  they  are  addressed.    They  are  con- 


60  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

sidered  as  general  and  preliminary  negotiations  and  not  as  definite  offers 
to  individuals.  To  avoid  misunderstanding  or  disappointment,  business 
firms  frequently  print  on  their  price  list:  "These  prices  are  subject  to 
change  without  notice." 

If  a  certain  per  cent  discount  is  offered  on  a  certain  bill  if  paid  on 
or  before  a  certain  date,  the  discount  may  be  accepted  if  the  remittance 
is  mailed  any  time  before  midnight  of  that  date. 

Stoppage  in  Transitu.  If  the  seller  of  goods  has  satisfactory  evi- 
dence that  the  buyer  is  unable  to  pay  for  them,  he  may  repossess  him- 
self of  the  goods  while  they  are  in  the  hands  of  the  carrier.  He  must 
be  very  sure  that  the  buyer  is  insolvent,  for  if  he  is  not,  the  seller  may 
be  liable  for  damages.  The  seller  writes  to  the  freight  company  or  tele- 
graphs to  the  express  company  that  conditions  warrant  stoppage  in 
transitu  and  orders  that  the  goods  be  held  for  instructions.  A  letter 
will,  of  course,  permit  of  a  more  detailed  explanation  than  a  telegram. 
The  following  letter  illustrates  the  manner  in  which  a  "stoppage  in 
transitu"  is  effected: 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  November  22,  19--. 

Great  Northern  Freight  Office, 
415  Superior  Street, 
Duluth,  Minn. 

Dear  Sirs: 

On  November  3,   we  del'ivered  to  your  company  in  St.   Paul 

■  a   box  of  goods  consigned  to   the  Northern  Hardware  Company  of  your 

city.      Since  that  time  we  have  had  an  unfavorable  report  on   the 

financial   standing  of  this  firm  that  makes  us  feel    justified  in 

exercising  our  right  of   stoppage   in  transitu. 

Please  hold  the  goods  until  further  orders. 

Very  truly  yours, 

EXERCISES  FOR  ORAL  OR  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

1.  Order  from  Sears,  Roebuck  &  Co.,  Chicago,  the  following  goods 
from  their  catalog  No.  128:  1  No.  37R7150  Ivanhoe  Tapestry 
Brussels  Seamless  Rug,  $12.75;  1  No.  1R1832  Dresser,  Colonial  Style, 
$10.95 ;  2  No.  1R309  Rocker,  at  $6.95 ;  4  pr.  No.  24R4203  Nottingham  Lace 
Curtains,  at  $1.15 ;  1  No.  35R433  "Saint  Cloud"  Gold  Border  Dinner  Set, 
$36.85 ;  1  No.  26R171  Minnesota  Model  "L"  Sewing  Machine,  $42 ;  1  No. 


LETTERS   ORDERING   GOODS  61 

LB9633  Kitchen  Cabinet,  $15.35.  Figure  the  amount  of  the  order  and 
enclose  Chicago  draft  for  same.  Give  complete  shipping  directions  to 
your  home  address. 

2.  Write  proper  acknowledgment  of  the  above  order. 

3.  Three  weeks  have  elapsed  since  you  sent  the  above  order  and  you 
have  not  received  the  goods.     Write  a  letter  of  complaint.     This 

firm  has  always  been  very  prompt  in  the  past.  Express  surprise.  Do 
not  be  too  severe,  since  this  is  the  first  offense.     Repeat  the  order. 

4.  Prepare  the  firm's  apology  for  the  delay  in  shipment.   Give  as  a  cause 
a  teamsters'  strike  in  Chicago  which  has  made  it  very  difficult  to  get 

goods  from  warehouse.  State  that  goods  were  placed  on  car  last  Satur- 
day and  should  reach  you  without  further  delay.  Ask  indulgence  in  this 
case  and  express  hope  that  goods  will  prove  entirely  satisfactory. 

5.  Five  days  later  you  receive  the  goods.     You  are  very  much  pleased 
with  everything  sent,  and  especially  with  the  sewing  machine  and 

kitchen  cabinet.  Express  your  feeling  of  satisfaction  in  a  letter  that 
the  firm  might  care  to  publish  in  their  next  circular  on  mail  order  busi- 
ness, as  a  testimonial. 

6.  Write  an  order  to  the  Century  Tablet  Manufacturing  Company  of 
342  Chester  Street,  Kansas  City,  from  your  school  principal  for  500 

compoeltloo  tablets.  They  are  to  contain  60  sheets  of  Sitka  Mills  bond 
paper,  like  sample  they  submitted  to  him  and  which  you  enclose.  Tab- 
lets are  to  be  8%xll.  Covers  to  be  of  Algonquin,  nile  green.  Paper  to 
DC  unruled.  Tablets  to  contain  one  good  grade  blotter.  Name  of  school 
to  be  imprinted  on  cover,  as  per  copy  enclosed.  Ship  by  freight  to  your 
BCbooL  Try  for  better  price  than  last  year,  which  was  lie.  Must  de- 
liver order  at  least  ten  days  before  opening  of  next  school  term  (date). 
Arrange  in  best  possible  order. 

7.  Write  acknowledgment  of  above  order,  repeating  instructions.   State 
best  price.    Call  attention  to  fact  that  nothing  was  said  about  how 

the  goods  were  to  be  paid  for.     State  what  is  expected. 

8.  You  are  in  the  market  for  paints,  oils,  varnish,  and  stains,  as  you 
are  about  to  open  a  paint  store  at ,  in  your  city. 

Letter  to  National  Paint  &  Color  Company  of  Pittsburgh,  asking  for 
.|H..t:ttimis  on  the  following:  500  lbs.  Putty  in  50  lb.  tins;  1,000  sheets 
Band  Paper,  best  grade;  335  gal.  Priming  Coat  in  gal.  buckets;  200  gal. 
Bad  Roof  Paint  in  5  gal.  cans;  50  gal.  White  Enamel  Finish;  20  gal. 


62  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Dark  Mahogany  Stain,  Special,  extra  quality ;  150  gal.  Pure  Linseed  Oil. 
Ask  for  best  terms.  Give  two  references  as  to  business  standing — one  a 
bank,  the  other  a  firm  in  the  line  of  business  you  are  entering.  State 
that  you  are  at  present  retail  sales  manager  of  this  firm,  in  which 
capacity  you  have  served  for  the  past  ten  years. 

9.  You  are  at  present  at  Bar  Harbor,  Mich.,  enjoying  your  summer 
vacation.  While  spending  a  rainy  morning  in  the  reading  room  of 
the  hotel  you  become  very  much  interested  in  a  serial  story  in  one  of  the 
popular  monthlies.  Send  a  letter  to  the  publishers,  containing  the  sub- 
scription price  and  ask  them  to  send  it  to  your  winter  address,  begin- 
ning with  the  September  number. 

10.  You  have  just  received  a  calendar    that    you    ordered  through  a 
magazine  advertisement    (name)     of    a    Boston    stationery  house 

(name)  by  parcels  post,  in  a  badly  damaged  condition.  The  calendar 
came  in  a  light  flimsy  box  that  was  entirely  too  fragile  for  parcels  post 
shipment.  The  box  was  broken  open,  the  calendar  torn  almost  in  two 
and  so  badly  soiled  that  it  would  have  been  worthless,  even  if  it  had  not 
been  broken.  Since  the  advertisement  featured  parcels  post  shipment 
you  are  surprised  that  the  company  did  not  have  a  special  and,  at  least, 
a  substantial  box  in  which  to  make  shipment.  You  are  further  annoyed 
by  the  fact  that  you  ordered  the  calendar  for  a  birthday  present  and 
needed  it  at  the  time  it  arrived.     Write  a  letter  of  complaint. 

11.  Write  a  polite  and  apologetic  letter  from  the  company,  explaining 
that  the  damage  to  the  calendar  was  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was 

sent  by  a  shipping  clerk  who  is  new  in  your  employ  and  who  made  the 
mistake  of  sending  it  out  in  a  box  in  which  you  sell  it  to  the  local  trade. 
State  that  you  do  have  a  special  box  for  parcels  post  shipment,  and  that 
you  are  sending  another  calendar  to  replace  the  one  that  was  damaged 
and  hope  that  it  will  arrive  in  perfect  condition.  You  express  further 
regret  at  the  delay  and  disappointment  you  have  caused,  but  you  trust 
that  the  explanation  will  be  satisfactory  under  the  circumstances  and 
that  you  may  merit  future  orders,  which  will  receive  your  best 
attention. 

12.  Prepare  a  letter  to  contain  an  order  for  a  single  article  that  is  de- 
scribed in  the  catalog  of  a  business  firm  and  that  requires  detailed 

and  careful  description  for  identification. 

13.  Write  a  letter  to  the  local  freight  agent  of  a  railroad  entering  your 
city,  complaining  of  damage  done  to  household  goods  en  route  from 


LETTERS   ORDERING   GOODS  63 

to  your  city.     State  the  exact  condition  of  the  goods 

when  received  and  show  that  the  damage  gives  positive  evidence  of 
rough  handling  by  careless  or  incompetent  employees.  Enter  claim  for 
damages  to  the  amount  of and  request  prompt  settlement. 

14.  Write  a  letter  from  your  local  freight  agent,  acknowledging  your 
complaint  and  claim  for  damages.     Repeat  substance  of  previous 

letter.  State  that  the  claim  has  been  entered,  and  that  the  matter  will 
be  investigated  in  a  few  days.  The  agent  states,  in  closing,  that  if  the 
claim  is  found  to  be  just,  you  may  expect  a  prompt  settlement,  which 
has  always  been  the  policy  of  the  company. 

15.  Write  a  letter  requesting  more  information  about  an  article  that 
you  have  seen  advertised  in  a  magazine. 

16.  Satisfactory  information  having  been  received,  place  your  order. 

17.  State  a  case  in  which  an  offer  might  be  accepted  more  quickly  by 
letter  than  by  telegram. 

18.  Make  an  offer  of  a  commodity  that  is  of  fluctuating  value  In  the 
form  that  would  give  you  the  most  protection. 

19.  Write  a  letter  accepting  the  offer. 

20.  Write  a  letter  exercising  the  right  of  "stoppage  in  transitu." 


CHAPTER  V 

LETTERS  PERTAINING  TO  THE  SETTLEMENT 
OF  ACCOUNTS 

How  the  Tone  Is  Determined.  The  one  important  problem 
in  writing  letters  to  obtain  the  settlement  of  accounts  is  to 
determine  the  tone  of  the  letter.  These  letters  vary  in  tone  all 
the  way  from  a  gentle  reminder  or  mild  request  to  a  severe 
threat  that  may  be  followed,  if  not  heeded,  by  a  law  suit  or  the 
boycotting  of  credit.  Whatever  the  attitude  of  the  creditor 
may  be  toward  the  debtor,  it  must  find  exact  expression  in  the 
substance  and  tone  of  the  letter,  and  this,  in  turn,  if  justifiable, 
must  be  warranted  by  existing  conditions.  One  of  the  first 
steps  to  be  taken  in  the  collection  of  a  delinquent  account,  by 
means  of  a  series  of  letters,  is  to  find  out  the  present  attitude 
of  the  debtor  toward  the  account.  The  fact  that  the  account 
remains  unpaid  after  some  time  has  elapsed  may  mean  any- 
thing. Persons  who  make  a  practice  of  dodging  their  "honest 
debts"  frequently  pay  no  attention  to  all  the  letters  that  may 
be  sent,  but  a  lack  of  response  cannot  always  be  taken  as  a  sure 
sign  of  such  an  attitude,  for  sometimes,  though  less  often,  per- 
sons who  have  misfortune  and  are  unable,  though  willing,  to 
pay  their  debts,  through  fear  and  timidity,  remain  silent  until 
they  are  suspected  of  belonging  to  the  so-called  "dead  beat" 
class.  Indeed,  it  is  dangerous  to  draw  any  conclusion  from 
the  mere  fact  of  the  non-payment  of  an  account. 

The  problem  is  to  find  out  the  real  cause  of  the  delinquency 
and  then  to  suit  the  tone  of  the  letter  to  the  facts  in  the  case. 
If  the  cause  of  the  delinquency  is  misfortune ;  such  as,  the  sick- 
ness of  the  wage  earner  or  members  of  his  family,  or  idleness 

64 


LETTERS  PERTAINING  TO  ACCOUNTS  65 

of  the  wage  earner  because  of  lack  of  employment,  the  letter 
should  express  sympathy  and  extend  the  time  for  payment  of 
the  balance.  This  is  granted,  of  course,  as  a  special  favor 
and  the  debtor  is  not  permitted  to  feel  that  the  firm  has 
changed  its  policy  of  requiring  the  prompt  settlement  of 
accounts. 

If  the  debtor  is  usually  prompt  in  the  payment  of  bills,  it  is 
almost  safe  to  infer  that  the  cause  of  the  present  delinquency 
is  mere  oversight.  The  enclosure  of  a  duplicate  statement  in  a 
letter  calling  attention  to  the  delinquency  should  bring  an  im- 
mediate response.  If  there  is  no  response  within  a  reasonable 
time,  the  creditor  may  rest  assured  that  the  delinquency  is  due 
to  a  more  serious  cause  and  he  is  then  justified  in  using  more 
severe  measures. 

If  carelessness  is  the  cause  of  the  delay,  the  creditor  may 
write  a  more  severe  letter,  calling  attention  to  the  importance 
of  promptness  in  payment  of  debts  and  also  to  the  fact 
that  business  men  depend  upon  the  remittances  of  their  cus- 
tomers to  meet  their  own  obligations. 

If  the  cause  of.  the  delinquency  is  more  serious  than  those 
just  mentioned,  the  case  has  gone  past  the  stage  of  writing 
letters  and  should  receive  the  attention  of  a  merchants'  pro- 
toctive  association  or  an  attorney. 

Workings  of  a  Protective  Association.  In  nearly  all  the 
cities,  merchants  have  gone  together  to  form  protective  associa- 
tions. They  may  be  made  up  of  men  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness or  of  those  in  different  lines  of  business.  In  any  case,  they 
operate  upon  the  principle  of  the  boycott  of  credit.  If  a  man 
does  not  pay  his  grocer  within  a  certain  number  of  days,  he 
will  find  himself  unable  to  obtain  credit  with  any  of  the  grocers 
who  belong  to  the  association.  If  the  protective  association  is 
made  up  of  firms  in  a  number  of  different  lines  of  business,  the 
man  who  is  indifferent  or  careless  about  paying  for  his  summer 
ice  may  find  himself  unable  to  obtain  credit  for  his  winter  coal. 


66  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

A   SERIES   OF   LETTERS   INVOLVING  THE    USE  OF   A 
PROTECTIVE  ASSOCIATION 

(1) 

A  letter  is  sent  to  the  debtor,  enclosing  a  statement  of  his 
account,  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  is  past  due,  and 
requesting  an  immediate  settlement. 

No  response. 

(2) 

A  letter  reminding  the  debtor  of  letter  number  one  and  re- 
ferring to  its  contents,  makes  a  stronger  appeal  and  states  that 
unless  the  account  is  settled  on  or  before  a  certain  date,  the 
firm  will  be  forced  to  refer  it  to  the  attention  of  the  protective 
association. 

Still  no  response. 

(3) 

From  the  merchant  to  the  association,  giving  the  name  of 
the  debtor,  the  amount  due,  and  a  statement  of  the  fact  that  the 
firm  has  not  been  able  to  get  any  response  to  the  two  letters 
outlined  above. 

(4) 

From  the  secretary  of  the  association  to  the  debtor,  request- 
ing him  either  to  remit  the  amount  or  give  a  statement  of  his 
reasons  for  non-payment.  It  may  also  contain  a  threat  to  send 
the  name  of  the  delinquent  to  the  other  members  of  the  associa- 
tion unless  a  satisfactory  settlement  or  explanation  is  received 
by  a  specified  time. 

(5) 

All  efforts  to  collect  the  account  having  failed,  the  secretary 
sends  the  name  of  the  delinquent  to  all  the  members  of  the  as- 
sociation on  a  printed  form,  giving  the  man's  name  and  address 
and  the  amount.  The  merchants  are  then  expected,  according 
to  the  rules  of  the  association,  not  to  sell  to  the  person  reported, 
except  for  cash.     Of  course,  all  the  information  about  the  delin- 


LETTERS  PERTAINING  TO  ACCOUNTS  67 

quent  is  confidential  and  care  is  used  not  to  impute  dishonesty 
or  financial  irresponsibility  to  the  delinquent,  else  the  associa- 
tion might  be  sued  for  libel  or  damages. 

Collection  Agency.  After  they  have  written  several  letters 
and  have  gotten  no  response,  some  firms  turn  their  accounts 
over  to  a  collection  agency  to  be  collected.  These  agencies 
usually  employ  a  series  of  follow  up  letters  and  they  are  often 
able  to  collect  accounts  that  were  thought  almost  hopeless  by 
the  firms. 


A  SERIES  OF  LETTERS  INVOLVING  LEGAL  ACTION 


(1) 
Dear  Sir: 

Enclosed  please  find  statement  of  your  account  to  date,  a- 
mountlng  to  $52.60. 

As  this  amount  is  now  past  due,   we  would  appreciate  your 
check  for  the  same  by  return  mail. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(2) 
Dear  Sir: 

On ,  we  sent  you  a  statement  of  your  account,  a- 

mounting  to  $52.60,  which  was  then  past  due. 

As  we  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  you,  we 
must  insist  that  you  send  U3  either  a  remittance  or  an  explanation 
of  your  delinquency. 

We  trust  that  we  may  hear  from  you  in  a  few  day3. 
Very  truly  yours, 


68  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

(3) 

Dear  Sir: 

We  have  written  to  you  several  times  concerning  your  ac- 
count, amounting  to  $52.60,  which  has  been  standing  now  for  

days,  but  have  received  no  response. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  we  feel  obliged  to  say  that  un- 
less the  account  is  settled  by ,  we  shall  be  forced  to 

take  legal  steps  for  its  collection. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(4) 

Dear  Sir: 

A  claim  against  you,  amounting  to  $52.60  has  been  placed 
in  our  hands  for  collection  by 

If  you  intend  to  settle  it,  you  may  call  at  our  office  not 
later  than  ten  o'clock  Thursday  morning,  or  send  us  your  check  so 
as  to  reach  us  on  or  before  that  time.   Otherwise  we  will  proceed 
•jdiately  thereafter  to  bring  court  action  for  its  collection. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Lawyer.  Another  method  of  collecting  an  account  is  to 
turn  it  over  to  a  lawyer  for  collection,  at  about  the  same  time 
that  it  would  be  given  to  a  protective  association  or  to  a  collec- 
tion agency.  Some  lawyers  make  a  specialty  of  collecting 
"hard"  accounts.  They  usually  employ  a  series  of  letters, 
working  up  to  a  threat  to  bring  suit  if  the  account  is  not 
settled  by  a  definite  time.  In  most  cases,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
bring  suit,  as  the  fact  that  the  account  is  in  the  hands  of  an 
attorney  and  that  suit  is  threatened  is  frequently  enough  to 
"frighten"  the  debtor  into  paying  the  amount  due. 

Use  of  Appeal.  Many  houses,  when  writing  the  second  or 
third  letter,  use  such  an  appeal  as,  "we  are  in  need  of  money 


LETTEES  PERTAINING  TO  ACCOUNTS  69 

to  pay  some  heavy  bills."  This  practice  is  not  favored  by  the 
best  business  usage,  as  it  may  easily  tend  to  make  the  debtor 
think  that  his  creditor  is  also  delinquent  and  for  the  same  rea- 
son he  is — he  needs  money.  It  gives,  therefore,  an  impression 
of  financial  weakness  that  does  not  inspire  respect.  The  safest 
appeal  is  on  the  basis  that  the  customer  honestly  owes  the 
amount  and  that  it  is  only  fair  and  just  that  he  should  pay  it. 

The  Misuse  of  Postal  Cards.  The  use  of  a  postal  card  to  make  a 
request  or  demand  for  the  settlement  of  an  account  may  render  the 
writer  liable  for  damages,  if  it  contains  anything  that  might  reflect  on 
the  personal  character  of  the  delinquent.  It  is  the  safest  practice  not 
to  use  postal  cards  at  all  for  this  purpose.  Two  facts  are  generally  con- 
sidered objectionable — the  amount  of  the  account  and  the  length  of  time 
it  has  been  standing  unpaid.  Notices  of  taxes  or  service  charges  for 
electric  light,  water,  gas,  etc.,  are  not  considered  objectionable  upon 
postal  cards,  when  they  are  current  and  not  delinquent.  Threats  to  sue 
a  person  would,  of  course,  be  highly  objectionable. 

Blackmailing  and  Extortion.  Care  must  be  used  even  in  a  letter 
not  to  make  threats  without  restriction.  A  number  of  states  have  laws 
against  blackmailing  and  extortion.  The  two  terms  are  sometimes  used 
interchangeably.  Blackmail  means,  primarily,  the  use  of  abusive  lan- 
guage in  a  letter.  Extortion  is  the  use  of  threats  to  do  an  injury  that 
has  no  connection  with  the  incurring  of  the  debt  and  thereby  to  extort 
money.  For  instance,  A  owes  B  a  certain  sum  of  money,  which  he 
seems  inclined  never  to  pay.  Later,  A  becomes  a  candidate  for  public 
ofllce.  On  hearing  of  this,  B  writes  him  a  very  sharp  letter  about  the 
debt  and  threatens  to  divulge  information  about  him  that  he  has  long 
kept  secret  unless  A  settles  the  account. 

siuht  Draft.  A  common  method  of  forcing  out-of-town  customers  to 
settle  their  accounts  is  the  use  of  the  sight  draft.  About  the  third 
letter,  the  firm  makes  some  such  statement  as,  "Unless  we  receive  your 
( lu<k  by  noon  of  the  10th,  we  will  draw  upon  you  for  the  amount."  As 
in  the  case  of  the  use  of  all  extreme  means  of  collection,  as  a  final  re- 
port, the  threat  is  often  enough.  The  reason  for  this  will  become  clear 
as  soon  as  the  process  of  drawing  a  sight  draft  is  explained.  To  draw 
I  ilfhl  draft,  the  firm  fills  out  a  form  about  the  size  of  and  much  like 
a  draft,  containing  the  amount  to  be  paid  and  by  whom  and  to  whom 
paid.  It  is  then  mailed  for  collection  to  some  bank  in  the  city  in  which 
Om  <l«'t»t<>r  lives,  the  name  of  the  bank  being  secured  from  a  directory 
that  is  found  in  most  business  houses.  As  soon  as  the  bank  that  was 
selected  to  collect  the  sight  draft  receives  it,  it  notifies  the  firm  to  call 


70 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


or  sends  a  collector  to  present  the  draft  for  payment.  Paying  the  draft 
is  called  "honoring"  it.  If  the  debtor  is  unable  or  unwilling  to  "honor" 
the  draft  he  must  state  his  reasons,  which  are  checked  on  a  printed 
form  and  returned  with  the  draft.  Very  few  business  men  refuse  to  honor 
a  sight  draft  and  most  of  them  avoid  being  drawn  upon,  as  it  places 
them  in  an  unfavorable  light  before  their  bankers. 

Statute  of  Limitations.  In  all  the  states  in  this  country  a  time 
limit  has  been  fixed  within  which  debts  are  legally  collectible.  This 
has  been  deemed  necessary  in  order  to  force  the  creditor  to  use  business- 
like promptness  in  collecting  his  accounts.  The  length  of  time  varies 
considerably  in  the  different  states,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the 
following  table.  Usually  the  time  begins  to  run  from  the  date  of  the 
purchase  of  the  last  item.  If  something  is  paid  on  account,  the 
whole  account  is  renewed  and  the  time  is  counted  again  from  the  new 
date.  In  case  the  debtor  gives  his  note  for  the  payment,  the  account 
is  renewed  thereby.  The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  years 
within  which  open  accounts  must  be  collected  in  the  different  states : 


Alabama    3 

Arizona    3 

Arkansas    3 

California   4 

Colorado    6 

Connecticut   6 

Delaware  3 

District  of  Columbia 3 

Florida   3 

Georgia    4 

Idaho   4 

Illinois    5 

Indiana    6 

Iowa    5 

Kansas    3 

Kentucky    5 

Louisiana    3 

Maine    6 

Maryland    3 

Massachusetts    6 

Michigan    6 

Minnesota    6 

Mississippi    3 

Missouri    5 

Montana    5 


Nebraska    4 

Nevada    4 

New  Hampshire   6 

New  Jersey  6 

New  Mexico  4 

New  York  6 

North   Carolina    3 

North  Dakota   6 

Ohio   6 

Oklahoma   3 

Oregon    6 

Pennsylvania   6 

Rhode   Island    6 

South  Carolina   0 

South  Dakota  6 

Tennessee   6 

Texas    2 

Utah    4 

Vermont    (5 

Virginia    3 

Washington    3 

West  Virginia   5 

Wisconsin   6 

Wyoming    8 


LETTERS   PERTAINING   TO    ACCOUNTS  71 

EXERCISES  FOR  ORAL  OR  WRITTEN   PRACTICE 

1.  Write  a  letter  to  a  customer  whose  account  shows  an  unpaid  balance 
amounting  to  $55.18,  which  has  been  overdue  for  nearly  ninety 

days.  As  his  ledger  page  shows  that  he  has  heretofore  been  very 
prompt,  you  assume  that  this  delinquency  is  due  to  an  oversight  and 
write  him  to  this  effect,  referring  to  statement  of  account  which  you 
are  enclosing. 

2.  In  reply  to  the  above  letter  you  receive  a  letter  from  your  delin- 
quent customer  in  which  he  states  that  he  has  been  unable  to  take 

care  of  his  balance  on  account  of  the  serious  illness  of  his  wife,  which 
has  put  him  to  great  expense.  You  offer  him  sympathy  and  an  exten- 
sion of  time. 

3.  A  delinquent  customer  has  paid  no  attention  to  your  two  previous 
letters.     You  threaten  to  send  his  name  to  the  Grocers'  Protective 

Association  unless  you  receive  his  check  on  or  before  a  date  that  you 
specify. 

4.  One  of  your  customers  has  failed  to  pay  for  a  shipment  of  goods 
within  the  period  of  time  required  by  the  terms  of  sale.    You  do 

not  think  this  is  due  so  much  to  inability  to  pay  as  to  carelessness,  of 
which  he  has  been  guilty  several  times  before.  Your  letter  to  him  is  to 
be  rather  firm  in  tone  but,  at  the  same  time,  tactful  and  courteous. 

5.  Give  an  example  of  a  request  for  payment  that  might  be  properly 
written  upon  a  postal  card. 

6.  Give  an  example  of  the  misuse  of  a  postal  card  for  such  purposes. 

7.  You  have  a  delinquent  account  with  Bailey  &  Barnes,  1109  Com- 
merce Street,  Butler,  Pa.    You  write  to  them  that  unless  you  re- 

eeJre  their  check  on  or  before  noon  of  the  10th  prox.  you  will  draw 
iijm.ii  them  for  the  full  amount,  $625.60.  You  close  with  the  statement 
that  jronr  bQStaiesa  relations  with  this  firm  have  always  been  so  satis- 
f;n  tory  that  you  hope  they  will  not  make  this  action  necessary. 

Ample  time  hftl  pawed  for  a  reply  to  the  above  letter,  but  Bailey 
&  Barnes  have  paid  no  attention  to  it.     You  draw  on  them  on  the 
Kitii.  mimI  on  the  15th  receive  your  draft  returned  and  marked  with  the 
iroHa,     A<k  more  time."     Up  to  this  time  you  have  been  of  the  opin- 
ion thnt  tb«-y  are  in  sound  condition  financially,  and  write  to  them  for 


72  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

an  explanation.  You  express  your  willingness  to  co-operate  with  them 
and  extend  the  time  of  payment,  if  they  are  suffering  from  business  de- 
pression. You  give  them  a  mild  reproof  for  not  having  given  you 
information  sooner  as  to  why  they  have  been  delinquent. 

9.  Bailey  &  Barnes  express  regret  that  they  were  compelled  to  refuse 
your  sight  draft  and  also  that  they  did  not  inform  you  of  the 
reason  why  they  were  unable  to  settle  the  account.  By  way  of  explana- 
tion of  their  inability  to  honor  the  sight  draft,  they  state  that  their 
collections  have  been  so  slow  during  the  past  six  months,  because  of 
general  financial  depression,  that  they  have  had  a  hard  time  to  get 
money  to  carry  on  their  business  because  of  contracts  they  have  on  hand 
that  require  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  purchase  of  materials.  They 
enclose  check  for  $200  on  account  and  express  their  willingness  to 
accept  your  generous  offer  of  an  extension  of  time  for  the  payment  of 
the  balance  and  ask  ninety  days. 

10.  You  write  to  them,  acknowledging  the  check  for  $200,  which  you 
have  had  placed  to  their  credit  and  grant  to  them  an  extension  of 

ninety  days  in  which  to  pay  the  balance.  You  express  sympathy 
and  the  hope  that  their  collections  will  soon  improve. 

11.  You  wrote  a  rather  sharp  letter  to  Little,  Brown  &  Brooks  of 
Omaha,  Nebr.,  because  they  had  not  paid  a  balance  of  $50,  which 

you  thought  was  past  due  on  a  duplicating  machine  they  purchased  of 
you  six  months  ago.  They  have  replied  to  your  letter  and  stated  that 
they  found,  on  taking  up  the  matter  with  their  cashier,  that  your  agent 
made  this  last  payment  due  on  October  10  and  that  inasmuch  as  it  was 
only  August  29  when  your  letter  was  received,  it  was  entirely  uncalled 
for.  They  have  sent  you  a  check  for  the  amount  and  seem  to  have 
been  seriously  offended  by  your  letter,  which  you  realize  now  was  a 
little  too  sharp.  Prepare  a  letter  of  apology  in  which  you  state  your 
regret  that  your  agent  did  not  report  that  he  had  made  special  arrange- 
ments for  payment  on  October  10.  Also  express  regret  for  any  incon- 
venience you  may  have  caused  them.  Offer  to  return  their  check  and 
wait  till  the  amount  is  due. 

12.  Write  a  letter  from  Little,  Brown  &  Brooks,  stating  that  the  above 
letter  has  been  received  and  that  the  explanation  is  entirely  satis- 
factory.   Also  state  that  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  you  to  return  their 
check,  although  they  appreciate  your  kind  offer  to  do  so. 


LETTERS  PERTAINING  TO  ACCOUNTS  73 

13.  Write  a  letter  to  a  delinquent  customer,  threatening  to  refer  the 
account  to  an  attorney  for  collection. 

14.  Having  received  no  response  to  the  above  letter,  you  have  been 
forced  to  refer  the  account  to  an  attorney  for  collection.    Write 

his  letter  to  the  customer,  threatening  to  bring  suit  unless  the  amount 
due  is  paid  before  a  specified  time. 

15.  Write  a  letter  concerning  the  collection  of  an  account,  in  which 
the  "Statute  of  Limitations"  plays  an  important  part. 

16.  As  a  delinquent  customer,  write  a  letter  to  your  creditor,  asking 
an  extension  of  time  for  the  payment  of  the  balance  due,  giving 

what  you  consider  sufficient  reasons. 


CHAPTER  VI 

CIRCULAR  LETTERS 

Circular  Letter  Defined.  A  circular  letter  is  one  that  is 
sent  to  a  number  of  persons  without  change  of  contents. 

A  Business  Necessity.  Circular  letters  have  become  a 
necessity  in  the  modern  business  office  for  two  reasons : 

1.  They  save  time  and  money. 

2.  They  increase  the  power  of  correspondence  to  get  business. 

Time  Savers.  The  value  of  a  good  business  letter  is  so 
great  that,  ordinarily,  the  time  required  for  its  preparation  can 
well  be  afforded.  The  same  situations  arise  so  many  tinles  in 
correspondence  and  call  for  such  a  repetition  of  dictation  that 
the  time  required  for  individual  replies  becomes  time  wasted 
and  cannot  be  justified.  Requests  for  catalogs,  inquiries  for 
information,  quotations  of  prices,  etc.,  are  so  numerous  that  if 
each  were  treated  as  a  distinct  and  individual  case  it  would 
take  so  much  of  the  time  of  the  office  force  that  the  more  im- 
portant correspondence  would  be  crowded  out.  It  is  a  great 
saving  of  time,  therefore,  if  all  these  simliar  cases  are  covered 
by  uniform,  circular  letters. 

Business  Getters.  Since  one  circular  letter  may  be  pre- 
pared to  serve  in  many  cases  without  being  changed,  it  is  pos- 
sible to  give  hours  of  study  to  the  composition  of  the  letter  in 
order  to  make  it  as  nearly  perfect  as  possible.  The  results  may 
be  carefully  watched  and  tabulated  and  experiments  m;i<l«' 
until  the  letter  that  brings  the  results  is  discovered.  All  this 
would  be  impossible  if  a  new  letter  would  be  required  for  ever}' 
«ase. 

74 


CIRCULAE   LETTERS  75 

Postal  Classification.  Circular  letters  are  commonly 
classed  as  third-class  matter.  To  go  at  this  rate,  not  less  than 
twenty  copies,  separately  addressed,  must  be  mailed  at  the  post 
office  window.  They  may  be  printed,  mimeographed,  hecto- 
graphed,  etc.,  and  the  name  and  address  filled  in.  They  are, 
of  course,  left  unsealed  and  a  one-cent  stamp  is  put  upon  them. 
Circular  letters  may  also  be  sealed  and  sent  as  first-class  letters. 
If.  in  this  latter  case,  the  letters  have  been  typewritten,  it  will 
be  impossible  to  detect  that  they  are  circular  letters. 

Signs  of  Quality.  One  of  the  first  signs  of  quality  in  a  cir- 
cular letter  is  the  stationery  on  which  it  is  written.  If  light 
weight,  cheap  stationery  is  used  instead  of  the  regular  firm 
stationery,  the  whole  letter  has  a  cheap  look,  while  if  the  regu- 
lar firm  stationery  is  used,  it  may  be  impossible  to  distinguish 
a  circular  letter  from  a  personally  dictated  letter. 

Kinds.  Among  the  kinds  of  circular  letter,  the  following 
are  the  most  common  and  important: 

1.  Form  or  stock  letters, 

2.  Follow  up  letters, 

3.  Letters  of  announcement  or  notification, 

4.  Sales  letters. 

FORM  OR  STOCK  LETTERS 

Occasions  for  Their  Use.  The  form  or  stock  letter  is 
usually  used  in  response  to  a  request  for  information.  This 
request  frequently  comes  as  a  result  of  an  advertisement  in  a 
newspaper  or  magazine,  which  is  intended  to  arouse  interest. 
The  ideas  contained  in  the  stock  letter  are  arranged  and 
phrased  so  as  to  seize  upon  this  interest  and  direct  it  to  a  favor- 
able consideration  of  the  proposition.  Samples  or  circulars 
are  sent  along  with  the  stock  letter  to  satisfy  still  further  the 
prospective  customer's  desire  to  know  more.  These  letters 
differ  from  sales  letters  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  they  are  usually 
almost  entirely  informational  in  character  and  do  not  contain 
so  much  of  argument  or  persuasion. 


76  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Dear"  Sir: 

The  new  and  revised  edition  of  our  "Hand  Book", 
which  we  are  sending ■ po   you,  under  separate  cover,  at  your 
request  will  give  you  a  slight  idea  of  the  products  of 
our  factory.   The  quality  of  our  school  and  college  jewelry 
can  only  be  appreciated  when  given  a  chance  to  speak  for 
itself. 

As  you  look  over  the  twenty  or  more  pages  of  de- 
signs you  will  be  impressed  with  the  large  variety  and  the 
originality. 

All  work  is  personally  supervised  by  the  members 
of  the  firm,  which  is  your  guarantee  of  first  class  work- 
manship.  Our  increasing  list  of  regular  customers  are. 
well  aware  of  the  fact  that  we  are  fully  alive  to  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  trade,  and  that  we  keep  abreast  with  all 
matters  pertaining' to  school  specialties. 

Our  special  arrangement  for  the  inspection  of 
stock  samples  you  will  find  on  page  twenty-nine,  as  well 
as  our  guarantee  and  terms.  Read  this  carefully  before 
placing  your  order.  Then  use  the  special  order  blank  and 
self-addressed  envelope,  which  you  will  find  just  inside 
the. front  cover. 

Very  truly  yours, 

MODEL  FORM  LETTER  • 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS  77 

EXPLANATORY  NOTE.— The  first  point  to  be  noted  in  favor  of  the 
letter  on  page  76  is  that  it  makes  use  of  the  interest  that  will  be  aroused 
at  the  time  the  recipient  of  the  "Hand  Book"  is  looking  it  over.  Further, 
it  will  be  noted  that  the  details  emphasized  and  the  underlying  tone 
tend  to  inspire  confidence.  While  not  presenting  as  strong  an  argument 
■I  might  be  put  into  a  sales  letter,  it  aims  to  turn  an  inquiry  into  an 
order.  Finally,  it  is  free  from  stereotyped  phrases  that  are  often  found 
in  such  letters.  Too  often  they  begin  with  a  sentence  something  like 
this:  "We  are  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  10th  inst,  in  which  you 
asked  for  a  copy  of  our  'Hand  Book'  and  in  reply  to  same  we  beg  to 
state  that  we  are  sending  it  under  separate  cover."  Such  a  statement 
tf.  formal,  and  trite.  The  only  ideas  that  it  contains  are  that  the 
request  was  received  and  complied  with,  both  of  which  will  be  apparent 
the  moment  the  catalog  is  received.  Equally  bad  are  sentences  like 
this:  "Look  it  over  carefully  and  if  you  find  anything  that  you  wish, 
we  will  be  pleased  to  fill  your  order."  Such  sentences  indicate  a  cold 
:t n«l  passive  attitude  that  usually  kills  the  interest  with  the  receipt  of 
the  catalog  and  loses  the  business  to  another  firm. 

How  Used  in  Dictation.  Form  or  stock  letters  are  gen- 
erally kept  in  a  loose  leaf  note-book  on  pages  the  size  of  a 
standard  business  letter  sheet.  Every  person  who  dictates 
letters  and  all  the  stenographers  have  a  copy.  When  a  letter 
comes  to  the  hand  of  the  one  who  is  to  dictate  the  reply,  and 
he  sees  that  it  can  be  fully  answered  by  a  form  letter,  he  gives 
thf  stenographer  the  name  and  address  of  the  person  to  whom 
the  reply  is  to  be  sent — the  introduction — and  indicates  the 
number  of  the  form  letter.  Later,  the  stenographer  copies  the 
letter  from  her  form  letter  book  and  it  is  signed  like  any  other 
letter  and  placed  with  the  outgoing  mail.  Occasionally  it  is 
aeeeflMry  to  dictate  a  special  introduction  to  the  letter,  in 
order  to  make  it  seem  more  personal  and  less  blunt. 

FOLLOW  UP  LETTERS 

Their  Use  and  Relation  to  Form  Letters.  Very  frequently, 
in  business,  the  results  from  inquiries  are  not  forthcoming. 
The  timid  and  pessimistic  business  man  concludes  too  early 
that  because  the  sending  out  of  a  catalog  or  price  list  did  not 


78  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

bring  an  order  it  means  that  the  prospective  customer  had 
merely  a  curious  interest  that  soon  left  him,  or  that  when  it 
came  to  paying  for  the  goods  he  did  not  have  the  money,  or 
that  he  has  been  drawn  away  by  the  offers  of  a  competitor.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  has  not  bought  from  any  firm  and  for  a 
good  and  sufficient  reason.  It  may  be  that  he  sent  for  the 
catalog  or  price  list  some  time  before  he  thought  of  ordering 
and  that  he  is  not  now  in  actual  need  of  the  goods.  It  may  be 
that  he  has  lost  interest  temporarily  and  only  needs  to  have 
his  former  interest  revived.  It  may  be  that  he  has  been  pre- 
vented from  ordering  when  he  intended  to  because  some  un- 
expected demand  has  forced  him  to  use  the  money  he  had  set 
aside  for  the  purpose.  The  alert  and  progressive  firm  realizes 
that  all  these  reasons  and  many  others  may  operate  in  a  given 
case  to  prevent  an  inquiry  from  turning  into  an  order.  To 
nurse  the  case  along,  a  series  of  follow  up  letters  is  sent  at 
well-timed  intervals  until  all  hope  of  an  order  has  been  lost. 
Like  the  form  or  stock  letter,  the  follow  up  letter  is  a  cir- 
cular letter,  because  it  may  be  prepared  carefully  beforehand 
and  sent  in  all  cases  in  which  the  conditions  are  the  same.  It 
differs  from  the  stock  letter  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  special  care 
is  necessary  to  send  out  the  letters  at  the  proper  intervals.  The 
following  very  clever  follow  up  letter  was  sent  out  by  a  tailor- 


KAHN  TAILORING  COMPANY here's  what  you  want  to  know :    My 

last  clothes  { Z"  not  I  entirely  satisfactory.     I  shall  need  new  clothes  about 

.    Please  \dd0onot]  have  your  representative  call  on  me 

with  samples  as  I  {'&',', „0,\  be  able  to  come  into  the  store  to  make  selection. 

Remarks 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS  70 


(printed  letter  head  her i-:) 


Dear  Sir: 

Congratulations,  it  is  anniversary  day I 
Just  a  year  ago,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  booking 
an  order  for  you.  We  hope  the  garments  gave  you 
such  fitting  service  and  such  a  servicable  fit 
that  our  recalling  the  occasion  to  your  mind 
is  pleasurable.   However,  we  have  a  wee  bit  of 
doubt  in  the  matter,  because  so  far  you  have  not 
placed  your  order  with  us  for  this  season. 

We  are  wondering  if  something  in  the 
history  of  that  order  of  a  year  ago  has  caused 
you  to  willingly  forget  us.   But  we  do  not  see 
how  that  could  happen,  because  ours  has  always 
been  a  policy  of  making  things  right  and  we 
are  sure  that  if  anything  went  wrong  with  your 
last  garments  you  would  have  told  us  so  and  have 
given  us  an  opportunity  to  make  things  right. 

We  hope,  therefore,  you  simply  delayed 
ordering  your  new  clothes  and  that  we  shall 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  soon. 

Our  display  of  seasonable  fabrics  is 
unusually  broad,  our  organization  was  never 
better  equipped  to  serve  you,  and  our  desire 
to  continue  making  your  clothes  is  so  real  that 
we  will  show  our  appreciation  for  your  early 
order  in  a  way  that  will  speak  for  itself  in 
the  clothes. 

Sincerely  yours, 


A  CLEVER  mi.i.MU  IT  LETTER,  I  3ED  WITH  CARD  ON  PRECEDING  PAGE 


80  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

ing  firm,  presumably  to  all  past  customers  whose  ledger 
accounts  showed  that  they  had  not  ordered  a  suit  of  clothes  for 
one  year  and  the  whole  point  in  the  cleverness  of  the  idea 
depends  upon  sending  the  letter  exactly  one  year  from  the  date 
of  the  last  order.  In  order  to  get  some  definite  expression 
from  the  person  who  received  the  letter,  the  firm  enclosed  a 
self-addressed,  stamped  postal  card  with  a  reply  containing 
two  possibilities  printed  on  it.  This  would  make  it  necessary 
only  to  take  a  pencil  and  cross  out  the  alternative  not  intended. 
It  will  be  readily  seen  that  it  would  add  much  to  the  power  of 
the  follow  up  letter  to  get  results.     See  page  78. 

LETTERS   OF   ANNOUNCEMENT   AND  NOTIFICATION 

Use  in  Business.  Letters  of  announcement  and  notification, 
another  kind  of  circular  letter,  are  used  frequently  in  business 
and  for  a  variety  of  purposes.  If  a  corporation  is  to  have  a 
meeting  of  stockholders,  a  circular  letter  is  sent  to  all  such 
persons,  stating  the  time,  place,  and  purpose  of  the  meeting. 
The  dissolution  of  a  partnership,  a  change  in  the  organization 
of  a  firm  or  corporation,  or  the  change  of  a  business  location 
is  the  occasion  for  a  circular  letter  to  all  customers,  an- 
nouncing the  facts.  The  subscription  price  of  a  magazine 
is  to  be  advanced  from  fifty  cents  a  year  to  one  dollar  a  year 
in  order  that  the  size  may  be  increased  and  new  features 
added.  This  will  be  accompanied  by  a  rise  of  thirty  per  cent 
in  advertising  rates.  A  letter  of  notification  is  sent  to  all  sub- 
scribers about  the  increase  in  the  subscription  price  and  an- 
other to  advertisers  about  the  new  advertising  rates. 

Requirements.  The  essential  qualities  of  circular  letters  of 
announcement  and  notification  are  clearness  and  exactness. 
Each  detail  in  the  letter  should  be  arranged  in  such  a  way  that 
it  may  be  readily  grasped  and  understood.  Exactness  should 
be  observed  in  the  smallest  matters;  such  as,  dates,  time  and 
place  of  meeting,  etc. 


CIRCULAR  LETTERS  81 


Dear  Sir* 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Peoples'  Cement  and 
Coal  Company  will  be  held  on  Thursday,  July  22,  at  the 
office  of  the  Company,  805  Board  of  Trade  Building,  at 
10  o'clock  a.m. 

At  that  time  a  report  of  the  year's  business 
will  be  read  and  the  question  of  establishing  a  north 
side  yard  will  be  considered. 

All  stock-holders  are  expected  to  be  present. 
Very  truly  yours, 

MODEL  CIRCULAR  LETTER  OF  NOTIFICATION" 


Dear  Sir: 

Owing  to  the  continued  illness  of  Mr.  James  D.  Hal- 
liwell,  who  has  been  spending  the  past  six  months  in  Arizona, 
for  his  health,  there  will  be  a  change  in  the  firm  name  from 
Rockford,  Harcourt  &  Halliwell  to  Rockford  Brothers  &  Har- 
court,  Mr.  F.  L.  Rockford  having  taken  up  the  interest  for- 
merly held  by  Mr.  Halliwell. 

There  will  be  no  change  in  the  general  policy  of 
the  business. 

Very  truly  yours, 

A   BUSINESS    AWOI'NCKMLVT 


82  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


SALES    LETTERS 


The  Problem.  How  many  of  these  letters  will  be  promptly 
consigned  to  the  waste-basket?  How  many  of  them  will 
materialize  into  orders?  Could  anything  have  been  done  to 
make  them  more  effective?  Will  the  returns  justify  the  ex- 
penditure of  time  and  money?  These  are  some  of  the  questions 
that  business  men  may  well  ask  themselves  every  time  they 
send  out  a  new  lot  of  circular  sales  letters.  Very  clearly  they 
are  questions  that  the  high  school  student,  with  his  lack  of 
maturity  and  business  experience,  cannot  appreciate.  Adver- 
tising experts  and  masters  of  the  art  of  correspondence  have 
spent  a  lifetime  in  learning  a  few  of  the  secrets  of  writing 
letters  that  "pull."  An  introduction  to  the  subject  must, 
therefore,  be  very  elementary.  The  very  fact  that  effective 
sales  letters  are,  perhaps,  the  supreme  test  of  the  ability  to 
write  a  business  letter  makes  it  decidedly  worth  while  for  the 
student  to  bring  all  the  skill  he  has  been  able  to  acquire  to  bear 
upon  the  problem. 

Briefly  stated,  the  problem  is  to  write  a  circular  letter  that 
will  arrest  the  attention,  present  clearly  the  merits  of  the  prop- 
osition or  the  article  to  be  sold,  and  induce  the  person  to  whom 
the  appeal  is  made,  to  buy. 

The  Prospective  Customer.  In  preparing  a  circular  sales 
letter,  the  first  thing  to  think  of  is  the  prospective  customer. 
How  did  you  obtain  his  name  ?  If  your  list  was  taken  from  the 
ledger,  you  are  talking  to  persons  who  have  already  been  your 
customers  and  are  prejudiced  in  your  favor.  They  are  already 
interested  in  your  firm  and  anything  new  you  have  to  offer  or 
any  special  values  you  may  have,  will  appeal,  in  most  cases, 
without  any  great  effort.  If  you  are  writing  to  a  brand  new 
list,  collected  from  a  wide  variety  of  sources;  such  as,  adver- 
tisements, requests  for  samples,  past  inquiries,  directories,  etc., 
you  will  be  addressing  a  strange  audience,  prejudiced  against 
you,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  you  .are  a  stranger. 

The  general  character  of  your  audience  will  demand  your 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS  83 

serious  consideration  before  you  begin  to  write.  The  style  and 
fit  and  finish  of  a  suit  of  clothes  will  appeal  more  to  a  city-bred 
man  than  it  will  to  a  farmer,  who  thinks  more  of  value," of  the 
quality  of  the  cloth,  and  the  durability  of  the  garments.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  you  are  circularizing  a  victrola,  you  will  not 
want  to  use  the  language  that  would  be  effective  in  presenting 
the  merits  of  a  washing  machine.  The  environment,  education, 
and  culture  of  the  prospective  customer  should  determine  the 
method  and  style  of  the  circular  sales  letter. 

The  Appearance  of  the  Letter.  A  clean,  clear-cut,  business- 
like appearance  has  saved  many  a  circular  letter  from  the 
waste-basket.  Cheap  stationery,  poor  printing,  bad  spelling, 
and  faulty  grammar  discredit  the  firm  sending  out  the  letter 
as  much  as  a  salesman  would  if  he  were  to  call  upon  a  pros- 
pective customer  with  clothes  unpressed  and  soiled,  face 
unshaven,  and  boorish  manners.  Too  much  attention,  there- 
fore, cannot  be  paid  to  all  the  little  details  that  affect  the  gen- 
eral appearance  of  the  letter.  It  will  cost  more  in  the  begin- 
ii in?,  but  prove  a  much  better  investment  in  the  end. 

Securing  Attention  and  Arousing  Interest.  In  the  actual 
process  of  writing  a  circular  sales  letter,  the  first  step  is  to 
secure  attention  and  arouse  interest.  The  opening  sentence 
should  catch  the  eye  and  draw  the  attention  of  the  reader 
rapidly  into  the  contents  of  the  letter.  This  may  be  accom- 
plished by  a  catch  line,  such  as  is  used  in  a  clever  newspaper 
or  magazine  advertisement,  or  a  phrase  or  sentence  may  be 
framed  from  some  topic  that  is  of  great  interest  at  the  time 
the  letter  is  being  written.  A  letter  sent  out  just  after  a 
serious  business  depression  opened  with  these  two  sentences: 
"Good  times  follow  hard  times  with  unerring  regularity  and 
certainty.  This  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  law  of  com- 
pensation.''  Sometimes  an  effective  opening  may  be  secured 
by  Jissuming  that  the  prospective  customer  is  sufficiently  inter- 
1  to  give  attention  at  once  to  what  you  have  to  say.  One  of 
our  Large  monthly  magazines  sent  out  a  circular  letter  to  school 


84  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

principals  to  induce  them  to  have  the  magazine  used  in  the 
English  classes.  On  the  assumption  that  school  principals  are 
always  interested  in  improving  the  work  of  the  class-room,  the 
letter  began   directly  and  forcefully  with:     "Your  teachers 

will  find  a  wealth  of  authoritative  material  in  the 

as  a  live  text  book  for  teaching  ENGLISH."  Often  a  flash  of 
originality  in  thought  or  phrasing  will  be  all  that  is  needed  to 
catch  the  eye  and  arouse  interest.  Whatever  device  is  used  in 
opening  the  letter,  care  must  be  exercised  to  create  an  interest 
that  goes  deeper  than  mere  passing  curiosity  and  to  carry  this 
interest  from  the  introduction  into  the  body  of  the  letter. 

The  Proposition  or  the  Thing  to  Be  Advertised.  The  body 
of  the  letter  is  devoted  to  the  proposition  or  the  thing  to  be 
advertised.  If  it  is  a  proposition,  every  step  in  the  argument 
should  be  made  clear  and  plausible,  so  that  the  conclusion  to 
be  drawn  will  be  irresistible.  If  a  firm  is  sending  out  circu- 
lars to  secure  patronage  from  those  who  are  expecting  to  have 
their  homes  redecorated  in  the  spring,  their  line  of  argument 
may  contain  their  experience,  quality  of  materials,  skill  of 
workmen,  reasonableness  of  prices,  and  testimonials  of  pleased 
patrons.  These  points  should  all  be  presented  with  due  regard 
to  their  logical  sequence. 

If  the  thing  to  be  sold  is  a  commodity  or  a  manufactured 
article,  the  following  would  be  the  "talking  points":  quality. 
usefulness,  desirability,  convenience,  durability,  and  inexpen- 
siveness.  Extravagant  claims,  exaggerations,  and  lavish 
statements  are  less  likely  to  establish  conviction  than  the 
"whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth." 

The  Final  Appeal  or  Inducement.  After  the  attention  and 
interest  have  been  aroused  and  the  proposition  or  article  to  be 
sold  has  been  presented,  the  last  and,  in  some  ways,  the  most 
important  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  final  appeal  or  induce- 
ment. 

The  three  divisions  of  the  contents  of  the  letter  cor- 
respond to  its  three  natural  divisions — the  introduction,  the 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS  85 

body,  and  the  conclusion.  The  body  of  the  letter  is  argu- 
mentation. The  conclusion  is  persuasion.  The  former  appeals 
to  the  reason  or  judgment,  the  latter,  to  the  emotions.  The  one 
is  what  we  should  think,  the  other,  what  we  should  do.  Since 
action  and  response  is  the  whole  purpose  of  the  letter,  the  im- 
portance of  the  conclusion  will  be  seen  at  once.  Various  de- 
vices are  used  to  get  action.  Mild  and  good-natured  im- 
peratives are  used  frequently  and  with  good  effect,  if  proper 
care  is  taken  not  to  let  the  letter  become  commanding  in  tone. 
A  well  written  circular  on  advertising  space  in  a  certain  maga- 
zine closed  with  these  paragraphs: 

"No  wonder  they  are  smiling.  You  would,  too,  if  your  ad  appeared 
in  the  journal  whose  subscribers  have  money  and  want  to  buy  stock. 

"Get  busy.  Sign  the  enclosed  contract  and  mail  it,  together  with 
copy  for  your  ad.  If  you  do  it  now,  it  will  be  in  in  time  for  the  big 
December  issue." 

An  analysis  of  these  closing  sentences  will  show  that  they 
contain  three  different  points  of  appeal :  1,  a  reference  to  the 
point  of  the  argument  in  the  body;  2,  a  reference  to  an  en- 
closed contract  blank;  and  3,  a  special  inducement — the  pos- 
sibility that  the  copy  may  still  be  gotten  in  in  time  for  the 
"big  December  issue." 

Besides  the  use  of  appeal  through  mild  imperatives  and  the 
clinching  of  the  argument  stated  in  the  body,  the  conclusion 
of  the  sales  letter  frequently  contains  a  reference  to  an  en- 
closure, the  use  of  which  will  make  it  easy  for  the  recipient  of 
the  letter  to  act  on  the  proposition  without  inconvenience  or 
delay.  Such  enclosures  may  consist  of  contract  blanks  as  in 
the  above  illustration,  order  blanks,  or  self-addressed  and 
stamped  cards  containing  a  blank,  printed  form  of  request  for 
literature  on  the  subject  or  samples  of  the  commodity.  The 
essentials  for  the  writer  to  have  in  mind  are  that  the  conclu- 
sion should  follow  up  and  clinch  the  argument  and  lead  the 
reader,  as  easily  as  possible,  to  action. 


8G  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  HERE) 


Dear  Sir; 

Friday  and  Saturday,  December  26th  and  27th,  are 
for  you  and  all  our  other  friends  and  regular  customers, 
the  annual  event  -  a  sweeping  reduction  in  the  price  of  all 
our  fancy  suits  and  winter  overcoats. 

Here  are  a  few  sample  prices: 


&35.00  grades  $27.50 

^30.00  grades 23.50 

f25. 00  grades 19.50 

^22.50  grades 17.50 


.18.00  grades  $14.35 

15.00  grades 11.50 

12.50  grades 9.50 

10.00  grades 7.85 


No  newspaper  announcement  of  this  sale  will  be 
made  before  January  1,  so  this  gives  you  the  opportunity 
of  coming  in  ahead  of  the  ever  increasing  crowds  that  take 
advantage  of  this  great  sale. 

Unlike  the  usual  custom,  we  make  this  reduction 
on  our  entire  stock. of  fancy  suits  and  winter  overcoats, 
including  the  famous  ATTERBURY  AND  KUPPENHEIMER,  at  the 
same  uniform  price  reductions.   This  is  a  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity for  you  to  purchase  these  clothes  -  the  finest 
ready-to-wear  in  America,  at  prices  much  less  than  ordi- 
nary makes. 

You  get  first  choice.  Don't  fail  to  take  advan- 
tage. 

Very  truly  yours, 


I.   MODEL  SALES  LETTER 

(See  explanation  on  page  91.) 


CIRCULAR  LETTERS  87 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 


The  SYRACUSE  CHINA  sample,  mailed  under  separate 
cover,  deserves  your  careful  consideration; 

For  it  represents  the 

most  durable  Table  China  made  in  the  World; 

An  AMERICAN  PRODUCT  made  by  AMERICAN  POTTERS. 

The  Real  Test  of  any  article  is  ACTUAL  SERVICE. 

One  Lady  writes  us: 

"I  can  find  nothing  to  compare  with 
Syracuse  China  for  wear.   The  patterns 
are  as  Beautiful  as  any  foreign  ware." 

Another  one  has  written: 

"I  have  two  sets;  nothing  like  it  for  wear." 

If  you  were  to  inspect  our  Decorating  Depart- 
ments you  would  understand  the  reason  Syracuse 
China  Decorations  are  Original  in  design  and 
Beautifully  finished. 

It  is  because  we  have  the  most  capable  Artists 
and  Decorators  that  can  be  employed.   All  of  the 
known  methods  and  process  for  Decorating  China 
are  used  in  ornamenting  this  durable  tableware. 

Would  it  not  be  to  your  advantage  to  use  the  china 
that  resists  chipping  and  breakage,  as  no  other 
tableware  does? 

Yours  very  truly, 


II.      MODEL  8ALES  LETTER 
(See  explanation  on  page  91.) 


88  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 


Gentlemen: 

The  danger  of  an  exaggerated  economy  in  choosing 
paper  for  correspondence  has  prompted  us  to  offer  a  word  of 
caution. 

While  undeniably,  cheap  bond  papers  have  their 
mission,  notably  in  circular  letter  and  printed  letter  work, 
and  we  sell  them  in  great  quantities,  yet  their  use  for  cor- 
respondence paper  is  never  advisable. 

Cheap  grades  of  paper  are  made  entirely  of  sulphite 
or  wood  pulp.   While  this  gives  body  to  a  paper  and  permits 
of  a  finish  that  will  produce  a  "fair  appearance,  It  does  not 
give  lasting  strength,  nor  does  it  permit  of  a  coloring  that 
will  prove  lasting.   Such  paper  is  subject  to  atmospheric 
conditions  and  becomes  yellow,  hard,  and  so  brittle  that  it 
breaks  with  little  handling.   You  can  readily  see  that  paper 
of  that  kind  is  not  what  you  wish  to  be  preserved  in  the  files 
of  your  customers. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  to  the 
expensive  grades  of  paper  to  secure  one  that  will  properly  . 
represent  you.   Bond  papers  that  are  made  of  the  proper  stock, 
color,  and  finish  and  that  will  last,  can  be  secured  at  a 
medium  price.   Such  papers  are  EXCHANGE  BANK  BOND  and  KENNEBEC 
BOND,  samples  of  which  we  enclose  and  ask  that  you  test  them 
thoroughly. 

More  and  more  it  is  being  realized  that  paper  ex- 
presses character  and  dignity,  so  you  should  consider  well 
before  making  too  great  a  cut  in  the  price  of  your  stationery. 
If  you  instruct  your  printer  to  furnish  either  of  these  papers 
you  cannot  go  amiss. 

Very  truly  yours, 
Enclosure. 


III.   MODEL  SALES  LETTER 
(See  explanation  on  page  91.) 


CIRCULAR  LETTERS  89 


(PRINTED  LETTER  HEAD  here) 


Dear  Sir: 

You  like  good  fish  -  I  take  that  for  granted. 

Then  why  not  have  for  your  hone  table  the 
same  kind  of  fish  we  folks  here  on  the  sea  shore  enjoy  - 
the  kind  with  the  real  sea  flavor  right  in  it? 

The  fall  catch  of  fat,  juicy  mackerel  are  here. 
'Twould  put  your  appetite  on  edge  just  to  see  these 
splendid  fish..  Our  codfish  are  now  at  their  best  -  thick, 
white,  and  tender. 

Let  me  send  you  some  of  these  things  on  approv- 
al by  prepaid  express.   I  guarantee  safe  delivery  and  " 
your  complete  satisfaction. 

Read  my  Fall  Circular  enclosed.   See  what  a 
variety  of  good  things  you  can  have.   You've  seen  my  ads 
in  the  magazines  -  your  neighbors  and  probably'  some  of 
your  friends  buy  from  me  right  along.   Undoubtedly  you 
have  more  than  once  decided  to  let  us  send  you  some  of 
our  fish.   This  time  do  it. 

Here  is  my  offer.   Tell  me  on  the  order  blank 
what  to  send  you.   Try  the  goods  in  your  home.   Then  if 
you  don't  decide  they  are  every  bit  as  good  as  you  ex- 
pected, return  what  you  have  left  at  my  expense.   Those 
you  have  used  in  the  test  cost  you  nothing. 

Why  wait  a  moment  longer?  Write  now. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Enclosure. 


IV.       MODEL   SALES   LETTER 

(See  explanation  on  page  91.) 


90  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


DEAR  MADAM: 

Until  your  boy  reaches  manhood,  one 
of  your  chief  worries  is  likely  to  be  "keeping  him 
in  clothes". 

That  worry  cannot  be  entirely  elimi- 
nated, but  it  can  be  so  greatly  minimized  as  to  cause 
you  but  little  concern. 

This  store  has  developed  strictly 
"boy  proof"  qualities  in  the  boys'  clothes  it  sells- 
reinforced  seams,  carefully  sewed  on  buttons,  chosen, 
durable  fabrics. 

This  durability  has  not  decreased 
the  beauty  or  style  of  the  suits  -  they'll  look  well 
on  your  boy  and  last  a  long  time.. 

Splendid  suits  $5.00  to  $15.00.  Over- 
coats $4.00  to  $15.00. 

May  we  show  you  very  soon? 
Very  truly  yours, 


V.   MODEL  SALES  LETTER 

(See  explanation  on  page  91.) 


OIECULAK  LETTERS  91 

EXPLANATION  OF  MODEL  LETTERS 

The  letters  in  the  foregoing  series  illustrate  the  principles 
of  the  sales  letter  stated  in  the  preceding  pages.  All  of  these 
letters  were  actually  sent  out  by  business  houses  and  were 
selected  from  a  large  number  because  they  show  how  some  of 
the  problems  may  be  handled  effectively: 

Number  I  is  a  letter  that  was  sent  out  by  a  clothing  firm 
to  advertise  a  special  reduction  in  prices.  The  opening  para- 
graph leads  easily  and  directly  to  the  special  prices,  which  are 
emphasized  by  the  tabular  arrangement.  They  are  followed 
by  an  appeal  in  the  next  two  paragraphs  that  is  intended  to 
lead  from  consideration  to  action. 

Number  II  is  a  sales  letter  that  was  sent  out  with  samples 
to  call  attention  to  the  merits  of  the  goods.  The  talking  points 
are  so  arranged  as  to  give  them  increasing  force,  one  of  the 
best  being  saved  for  the  last.  It  is  effectively  put  in  the  form 
of  a  direct  question. 

Number  III  makes  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  prop- 
osition announced  in  the  opening  paragraph — "exaggerated 
economy  in  choosing  paper  for  correspondence."  The  two 
brands  of  paper  that  are  advertised  especially  are  brought 
into  the  letter  skilfully  by  making  the  entire  discussion  lead 
up  to  them.  The  thought  of  the  whole  letter  is  reinforced 
strongly  by  the  final  paragraph. 

Number  IV  is  an  unusually  good  letter,  because  it  has  the 
direct  and  intimate  tone  that  is  so  difficult  to  get  and  is, 
therefore,  the  best  of  the  series  here  presented  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  "salesmanship  in  print.' '  It  catches  the  attention, 
holds  the  interest,  and  makes  a  decidedly  strong  appeal  for 
action.  The  special  offer,  contained  in  the  next  to  last  para- 
graph, adds  greatly  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  letter. 

Number  V  is  a  clever  handling  of  what  is  an  interesting 
theme  to  those  to  whom  the  letter  is  addressed.  The  letter  is 
simple,  honest  in  tone,  and  goes  straight  to  the  point  without 


92  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

a  waste  of  words.  The  paragraphs  relate  closely  to  each 
other,  which  fact  makes  the  letter  unusually  readable  because 
of  its  continuity. 

EXERCISES  FOR  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

1.  Prepare  a  form  letter  to  accompany  a  college  or  university  catalog. 
Speak  of  the  location  of  the  school,  courses  offered,  advantages  to 

the  student,  etc. 

2.  Write  a  form  letter  to  accompany  a  booklet  giving  styles  and  prices 
of  victrolas.    Emphasize  their  educational  value,  influence  on  the 

home  life,  and  the  easy  terms  on  which  they  may  be  bought. 

3.  The  principal  of  your  school  frequently  receives  inquiries  as  to  the 
management    of    athletics    in    the    school.     Prepare    a    carefully 

worded  stock  letter  that  might  be  sent  out  whenever  such  a  letter  of 
inquiry  is  received. 

4.  Write   a   stock   letter  on   the  advantages   of   Chicago,   Cleveland, 
Detroit,  or  the  city  in  which  you  live,  as  a  place  in  which  to  locate 

a  factory.  We  will  imagine  that  such  a  letter  is  being  sent  out  by  the 
Commercial  Club  to  a  person  who  is  interested. 

5.  Write  a  purely  original  stock  letter  that  will  cover  a  situation 
that  is  different  from  those  just  given. 

6.  You  are  the  manufacturer  of  a  certain  make  of  canoes.    You  have 
an  advertisement  in  several  magazines.    You  frequently   receive 

letters  of  inquiry  for  more  information  than  can  be  given  in  the  small 
advertisement  You  send  the  information,  but,  in  a  large  percentage  of 
cases,  hear  nothing  further  from  the  persons  asking  for  it  Prepare  a 
follow  up  letter  to  be  sent  to  these  persons  that  will  remind  them 
of  the  inquiry  and  place  before  them  again  the  merits  of  the  canoe. 

7.  Write  a  follow  up  letter  to  be  sent  to  parents  who  have  had  an 
illustrated  pamphlet  describing  a  boys'  camp,  but  have  not  been 

heard  from. 

8.  Write  a  follow  up  letter  to  creditors  who  have  received  monthly 
statements    of    account    but    have    paid    no    attention    to    them. 

Emphasize  the  courtesy  of  reciprocating  the  spirit  of  accommodation 
in  which  credit  is  given  and  the  necessity  of  the  prompt  settlement  of 
accounts  if  business  is  to  be  done  on  an  efficiency  basis. 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS  93 

!>.     Write  a  follow  up  letter  to  be  sent  out  by  a  publishing  house  to 
citizens  in  a  given  city  upon  whom  the  company's  canvassers  have 
called,  without  receiving  orders. 

10.  Write  a  follow  up  letter  that  is  to  be  the  last  appeal  in  a  series  of 
three  letters.     Let  the  commodity  concerned  be  a  camera. 

11.  As  secretary  <»f  a  corporation,  write  a  circular  letter  of  notification 
of  the  annual  meeting,  to  be  sent  to  all  stockholders.     Give  time, 

place,  and  purpose  of  the  meeting. 

12.  Write  a  letter  announcing  a  change  in  a  copartnership,  due  to  the 
ill  health  of  one  of  the  partners.     Have  a  gentleman  who  has  been 

■  silent  partner  assume  the  interest  of  the  retiring  partner.  Give  the 
change  In  the  firm  name.  Assure  all  customers  that  they  may  expect 
the  broad  and  liberal  policy  of  the  firm  to  continue,  and  that  no 
changes  will  be  made,  except  in  the  interests  of  greater  efficiency.  Close 
the  letter  with  an  appreciation  of  past  patronage  and  an  appeal  for  in- 
creaaed  patronage  in  the  future. 

13.  Write  a  letter  of  notification  from  a  wholesale  furniture  house  to 
be  sent  to  all  firms  on  its  ledgers,  to  contain  the  following  informa- 
tion: have  adopted  the  price  list  enclosed;  suggest  its  use  when  order- 
ing; any  quotation  previous  to  January  1,  19 — ,  for  enameled  work 
is  hereby  withdrawn ;  are  in  a  position  to  stain  in  any  color  or  shade 
desired,  either  from  their  own  standard  stains  or  from  samples  sub- 
mitted by  the  customer;  also  furnish  pieces  unstained,  to  be  stained  to 
match  interiors  or  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  purchaser ;  suitable  close. 

14.  Write  the  letter  of  announcement  of of 

who  has  just  opened  offices  in  the Building  as  a  Cer- 
tified Public  Accountant.  It  may  contain  the  following:  statement  of 
previous  training  and  experience,  kinds  of  service  to  be  offered  to  the 
public,  references  as  to  ability  and  business  integrity. 

15.  Write  a  letter  from  the  president  of  one  of  our  smaller  western 
colleges  announcing  to  the  alumni  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 

the  college  has  voted  in  favor  of  erecting  a  $50,000  gymnasium, 
$30,000  of  which  sum  has  already  been  pledged  by  the  students,  friends, 
and  faculty  of  the  college.  Make  a  strong  appeal  on  the  need  of  a  gym- 
nasium. Close  with  a  reference  to  an  enclosed  pledge  card  and  a  state- 
iiMiit  <»f  the  time  and  to  whom  money  is  to  be  paid. 


94  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

16.  Write  a  sales  letter  to  be  sent  to  the  high  school   teachers  of 
English,  circularizing  some  classic  that  you  have  used  in  your  own 

high  school  course.  If  possible,  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  book 
before  composing  the  letter.  Points  to  be  emphasized  are:  excellence 
of  the  editing,  quality  of  paper  and  binding,  legibility  of  text,  value  at 
the  low  price. 

17.  •  Write  a  circular  letter  to  be  sent  by  a  large  tailoring  establishment 

to  business  men,   to  increase  the  sales  of  business  and  evening 
clothes. 

18.  Write  a  circular  letter  from  a  Boston  commission  house  to  farmers 
in  Pennsylvania  with  the  purpose  of  inducing  them  to  ship  to  this 

firm  their  live  or  dressed  poultry,  butter,  and  eggs. 

19.  Write  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  housewives  in  one  of  the  large  cities, 
presenting  the  merits  of  some  modern  household  convenience;  such 

as,  an  electric  iron,  a  kitchen  cabinet,  a  vacuum  cleaner,  or  an  electric 
washing  machine.  The  article  is  for  sale  at  a  local  agency.  A  dem- 
onstration will  gladly  be  given  or  a  representative  will  call  to  give  fur- 
ther information. 

20.  Write  a  circular  letter  from  a  Realty  Company  that  offers  modern 
homes,  in  attractive  neighborhoods,  on  easy  monthly  payments. 

21.  Write  a  circular  letter  advertising  special  prices  on  oriental  rugs 
and  carpets.    They  are  now  selling  at  half  price.    You  have  sold 

more  rugs  during  the  first  two  days  of  your  annual  fall  sale  than  ever 
before,  in  spite  of  hard  times.  People  are  beginning  to  realize  that  you 
save  them  from  25  to  50  per  cent.  Expert  rug  buyers  know  that  you 
collect  personally  in  Persia  and  have  been  buying  heavily.  Every  rug 
in  stock  is  a  genuine  Oriental.  More  than  1,000  to  select  from.  Prices 
run  from  $5  to  $1,500.  Everything  marked  in  plain  figures.  The  fol- 
lowing are  samples  of  values : 

Rugs.  Size.  Regular.  Special. 

Mir  Saraband   ..  14x7  $225.00  $112.50 

Yardooz   6.9x4.10  65.00  32.50 

Kirmansha   6x4.4  120.00  60.00 

Shahabs    6.7x2.7  30.00  15.00 

Camel  Hair  Hall  Runner.l4.2x3.6  80.00  40.00 

Mashad  Carpet  10x13  360.00  180.00 

Iran,  small  design 9x12  •  350.00  175.00 

Coobah.   very  rare 6.2x4.3  60.00  30.00 


CHAPTER  VII 

LETTERS  OF  APPLICATION 

Importance.  The  letter  of  application  may  well  be  consid- 
ered the  most  important  letter  that  the  student  is  called  upon 
to  write.  Indeed,  it  is  so  important  that  he  may  profitably 
give  years  to  mastering  it.  Its  importance  arises  from  the  fact 
that  a  good  letter  may  mean  the  opening  up  of  an  opportunity 
for  a  business  career,  while  a  bad  letter  would  have  the 
opposite  effect  of  closing  the  door  of  opportunity.  Perhaps 
the  importance  of  this  type  of  letter  will  be  better  realized  if 
reference  is  made  to  an  instance  or  two  of  failures  that  might 
have  been  avoided. 

Illustrations.  In  the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  schools 
of  a  certain  city  in  the  Middle  "West  there  was,  at  one  time,  a 
good-sized  filing  cabinet  that  was  used  to  preserve  the  letters 
of  application  of  unsuccessful  candidates  for  teaching  posi- 
tions. These  were  the  letters  of  men  and  women  who  had  been 
graduated  from  the  best  colleges  and  universities  in  the  land, 
yet  bad  grammar,  bad  spelling,  ignorance  of  form,  etc.,  had 
doomed  their  letters  to  the  discard  and  had  deprived  them  of 
the  opportunity  that  should  have  been  theirs. 

Again,  a  certain  young  man,  who  had  been  graduated  from 
an  eastern  college,  heard  of  a  vacancy  in  the  faculty  of  another 
college  and  became  interested  in  the  position.  He  decided  to 
apply  at  once,  hastily  wrote  a  letter  of  application,  and  dis- 
patched it  forthwith,  without  taking  time  to  look  it  over  to 
•t  his  can-less  mistakes.  In  the  meantime,  he  waited 
anxiously  for  tin-  letter  that  he  hoped  would  give  a  favorable 
reply.     In  due  time,  he  received  a  letter  that  he  thought  was 

95 


96  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

an  answer  to  his  letter  of  application,  but,  on  opening  it,  he 
found  it  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  his  own  letter,  re- 
turned with  all  the  mistakes  marked  in  red  ink,  like  a  school 
boy's  composition.  Fortunately,  he  was  able  to  profit  by  his 
experience,  but  it  was  exceedingly  bitter  and  hard  to  forget. 

In  instances  like  the  foregoing,  it  is  clear  that  the  fault 
was  not  so  much  ignorance  as  carelessness.  The  student  will 
see  that  the  mastery  of  this  most  important  form  of  letter 
will  require  not  only  the  acquisition  of  much  information  of 
which  he  is  almost  entirely  ignorant,  but  also  the  utmost  atten- 
tion to  all  the  little  details  that  constitute  the  alphabet  that 
spells  victory  or  defeat.  Before  taking  up  the  larger  questions 
of  form  and  content,  we  shall  state  briefly  some  of  the  more 
important  details. 

Stationery.  One  of  the  first  of  the  many  details  that  should 
demand  attention  in  the  writing  of  a  business  letter  of  any 
kind,  is  stationery.  While  no  hard  and  fast  rules  can  be  laid 
down,  the  following  injunctions  may  be  stated  imperatively: 
Use  large,  plain,  white,  unruled  sheets  of  paper  of  good  quality. 
Let  it  be  of  standard  size,  if  possible — 8V2XII.  Such  paper 
may  easily  be  obtained  from  any  stationery  store,  in  the  form 
of  tablets,  or  typewriter  paper.  Use  envelopes  to  fit.  Secure 
enough  paper  and  envelopes  to  allow  for  spoilage.  Write  only 
on  one  side  of  the  paper. 

Penmanship.  Some  letters  of  application  must  be  entirely 
in  the  applicant's  own  handwriting.  The  penmanship  should 
be  easy  and  natural — a  plain,  bold,  rather  large  hand  and  one 
that  is  legible. 

Typewriter.  If  nothing  is  said  about  the  writer's  use  of 
his  own  handwriting,  it  is  customary  to  write  letters  of  appli- 
cation on  the  typewriter,  with  the  exception  of  the  signature. 
If  the  writer  is  not  able  to  do  high-class  work  on  the  type- 
writer, it  will  pay  him  to  have  the  letter  written  by  someone 
who  knows  how.  This  will  avoid  the  two  common  faults  of 
"amateur"  typewriting — erasures  and  misspelled  words. 


LETTERS   OP   APPLICATION  97 

Spelling.  Before  mailing  a  letter  of  application,  the  writer 
should  go  over  it  carefully  with  a  dictionary  and  look  up  every 
word  the  spelling  of  which  is  the  least  doubtful  or  suspicious. 
Three,  two,  even  one  misspelled  word  may  cause  the  letter  to 
be  dismissed  without  any  consideration,  especially  if  there  are 
a  number  of  applicants  and  the  competition  is  keen. 

Grammar.  In  a  letter  of  application,  grammatical  errors 
are  even  more  objectionable  than  misspelled  words  and  should 
be  studiously  avoided.  Closely  akin  to  bad  grammar  is  the 
roundabout,  indirect  style  of  expression  that  seeks  to  avoid 
committing  one's  self  on  a  doubtful  point. 

Punctuation.  While  punctuation  is,  no  doubt,  of  less  im- 
portance than  grammar  and  spelling,  it  is  an  indication  of  the 
writer's  knowledge  of  the  finer  points  of  business  composition 
and,  therefore,  deserves  attention. 

Neatness.  The  letter  of  application  should  be  absolutely 
free  from  ink  blots  and  erasures,  finger  marks,  and  soil  of  any 
kind. 

Why  Applicants  Are  Judged  by  Their  Letters.  On  first 
thought,  it  may  not  seem  entirely  fair  that  business  men  should 
judge  the  fitness  of  an  applicant  by  a  single  letter.  As  a  rule, 
the  successful  applicant  is  not  successful  because  of  his  letter 
alone,  but,  in  many  cases,  it  is  a  most  important  factor  in  ad- 
mitting him  to  final  consideration.  When  a  business  man  has 
before  him  a  number  of  letters  of  application  for  a  certain 
position,  he  almost  invariably  eliminates  those  that  show  signs 
of  carelessness  in  the  details  just  emphasized.  He  does  this  on 
the  ground  that  if  the  applicant  has  taken  the  situation 
seriously  he  has  done  his  best  and  that  carelessness  at  such 
tiriM-s  might  be  indicative  of  still  greater  carelessness  under 
circumstances  of  less  moment.  Similarly,  the  applicant  who 
uses  illegible  handwriting  in  his  letter  of  application  is  not 
likely  to  use  legible  handwriting  in  his  books  any  more  than 
the  man  who  eats  peas  with  his  knife  when  company  is  present 
is  likely  to  use  better  table  manners  when  company  is  not  pres- 


98  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

ent.  And,  after  all,  there  is  an  element  of  fairness  in  this,  for 
the  applicant  has  really  submitted  his  case  to  the  jury  and  has 
offered  his  letter  as  a  sample  of  the  best  he  is  able  to  do. 

Response  to  an  Advertisement.  One  of  the  most  common 
ways  of  hearing  of  a  business  position  is  through  a  newspaper 
advertisement.  This  requires  what  is  commonly  called  an 
"impersonal"  letter  of  application,  that  is,  one  addressed  to  a 
certain  box  or  number  rather  than  to  the  person  who  is  offer- 
ing the  position.  In  answering  such  an  advertisement,  the  ap- 
plicant should  address  the  letter  exactly  as  directed,  and 
should  give  the  information  required,  in  the  same  order  as 
suggested  by  the  advertisement.  The  details  commonly  called 
for  are  age,  experience,  preparation,  whether  married  or 
single,  salary  expected,  and  references. 

Enclosing  Testimonials.  Present  usage  is  opposed  to  the 
enclosing  of  letters  of  recommendation  in  a  letter  of  applica- 
tion, especially  if  the  position  is  one  of  importance  and  respon- 
sibility that  would  require  knowledge  about  the  applicant  of  a 
more  or  less  confidential  nature.  In  such  cases  it  is  much  bet- 
ter to  state  the  references  and  let  the  person  offering  the  posi- 
tion write  to  them  for  information.  See  the  chapter  on  letters 
of  information,  page  40. 

General  letters  of  recommendation  are  more  frequently  en- 
closed. See  chapter  on  same,  page  107.  The  common  practice 
is  to  send  a  typewritten  copy  rather  than  the  original.  In  such 
cases,  the  word  "copy"  is  written  at  the  top.  The  signature 
is  also  written  on  the  typewriter,  and  the  word  "signed" 
placed  immediately  before  it.     See  page  108. 

Stamp  for  Reply.  As  the  matter  of  business  is  of  mutual 
interest,  it  is  not  necessary  to  enclose  a  stamp  for  reply. 

Interview.  Many  letters  of  application  are  preliminary  to 
an  interview,  which  is  granted  to  one  or  more  of  the  most 
promising  applicants.  If  the  applicant  lives  in  another  city, 
he  may  be  granted  an  interview  in  the  .city  in  which  the  one 
offering  the  position  lives,  with  his  expenses  paid,  or,  if  it  is 


LETTERS    OF   APPLICATION  99 

more  convenient  to  the  parties  concerned,  an  interview  may 
be  arranged  in  a  city  that  is  midway  between  them.  The 
object  of  the  interview  is  to  enable  the  offeree  to  meet  the  ap- 
plicant face  to  face  and  judge  of  his  personality.  The  conver- 
sation usually  pertains  to  the  nature  and  requirements  of 
the  work  and  the  question  of  salary.  In  general,  the  fact  that 
the  applicant  has  been  granted  an  interview  is  a  sign  that  he 
is  being  favorably  considered;  indeed,  many  men  regard  an 
interview  almost  as  an  assurance  that  they  will  be  chosen  for 
the  position. 

Form  of  a  Letter  of  Application.  The  form  of  a  letter  of 
application  is  the  same  as  that  of  any  other  business  letter. 
Care  should  be  exercised,  however,  to  use  a  form  that  is  not 
extreme,  in  order  to  avoid  prejudice  on  the  part  of  the  recipient 
of  the  letter. 

Method  and  Structure.  The  method  and  structure  of  the 
letter  are  determined  by  the  details  that  are  required  by  the 
nature  of  the  position  or  the  advertisement  in  which  it  is  an- 
nounced. In  general,  each  topic  is  put  in  a  separate  paragraph, 
except  where  two  topics  are  closely  related;  as,  age  and 
experience. 

Series  of  Letters.  The  offering  of  a  position  and  the  secur- 
ing of  a  suitable  employee  frequently  requires  a  series  of  let- 
ters, extending  from  the  first  information  of  the  vacancy  to  the 
letter  of  notification  to  the  successful  applicant.  The  follow- 
ing series  of  letters  is  outlined  to  illustrate  the  steps  in  the 
process : 

A   SERIES  OF  LETTERS  INVOLVING  APPLICATION 

1.    Letter  giving  information  of  vacancy.    Mr , 

Principal  of  the High  School,  is  looking  for  a  man 

teacher  for  the  mathematics  department.  The  position  will 
pay  $1,500,  as  a  teaching  place  alone,  and  there  is  a  possibility 
that  if  the  applicant  proves  worthy,  he  may  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  be  considered  for  the  position  of  head  of  the  depart- 


100  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

meat.     The  superintendent  learns  from  a  friend  that  Mr.  J.  C. 

,  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the High 

school  of is  fitted  for  the  position.    He  writes  a 

letter  to  Mr.  J.  C ,  and,  after  describing  the  posi- 
tion in  detail,  requests  him  to  send  a  brief  statement  of  his 
education. 

2.  Letter  of  acknowledgment  and  preliminary  sketch.  The 
applicant  writes  a*  courteous  letter  of  acknowledgment  and 
gives  a  brief  sketch  of  his  education. 

3.  Letter  requesting  formal  letter  of  application.  The 
principal  of  the  high  school  is  very  much  interested  in  the  ap- 
plicant's sketch  of  his  education  and  requests  him  to  send  a 
formal  letter  of  application  to  the  superintendent  of  schools, 
enclosing  photograph  and  references  or  copies  of  testimonials. 

4.  Acknowledgment  of  letter  of  application.  The  super- 
intendent of  schools  acknowledges  receipt  of  the  letter  of  ap- 
plication and  assures  the  applicant  that  it  will  receive  due  con- 
sideration. He  also  says  that  a  statement  of  the  action  taken 
on  the  application  will  be  sent  as  soon  as  possible. 

5.  Notice  of  favorable  action  on  the  application  and  re- 
quest for  interview.  On  writing  to  the  references  given  by 
the  applicant  in  his  letter,  the  superintendent  is  so  favorably 
impressed  that  he  writes  the  applicant  to  this  effect  and  says 
that  he  desires  to  arrange  an  interview  either  in  his  own  city 
or  some  midway  point. 

6.  Letters  between  the  superintendent  and  the  applicant 
arranging  an  interview. 

7.  A  letter  to  the  applicant,  following  the  interview, 
notifying  him  of  his  appointment  and  stating  when  he  shall 
report  for  duty. 


LETTERS   OF   APPLICATION  l()t 

A  SERIES  OF  MODEL  LETTERS  GROWING  OUT  OF  A  NEWSPAPER 

ADVERTISEMENT 

WANTED — Boy — high  school  graduate — by  one  of  the  oldest 
banking  institutions  in  this  city.  Fair  salary  to  start  with; 
excellent  opportunity  to  learn  the  banking  business  and  se- 
cure advancement.  Apply  in  own  handwriting.  State  age, 
experience,  if  any,  present  employment  and  education.  Give 
at  least  two  references.     Address  X  22,  Gazette. 


1435  Bever  Avenue, 
Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.,  July  20,  19 — , 


X  22,  Gazette, 
City. 

Gentlemen: 

In  reply  to  your  advertisement,  in  yesterday's 
Gazette,  for  a  high  school  graduate  to  learn  the  hanking 
business,  I  wish  to  submit  my  application. 

I  am  20  years  of  age  and  have  had  three  years  ex- 
perience with  the  Martin  Dry  Goods  Company,  of  this  city,  as 
a  salesman  in  the  carpet  department. 

At  present,  I  am  receiving  a  salary  of  $15  per 
week  and  am  satisfied  with  my  work,  except  that  I  have  been 
looking,  for  some  time,  for  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  bank- 
ing business,  in  which  I  am  very  much  interested. 

I  was  graduated  from  the  Washington  High  School,  of 
this  city,  in  June  19 —  and  ranked  third  in  a  class  of  sixty- 
five.   I  took  the  regular  commercial  course,  a  copy  of  which 
I  enclose.   I  also  had  a  six  months  course  in  the  Cedar 
Rapids  Business  College  in  banking,  shorthand,  and  rapid 
calculation. 

As  references  I  give  the  following: 

John  H.  Rawls,  Manager  Carpet  Dept.,  Martin  Dry  Goods  Co., 
Abbie  S.  Abbott,  Principal  Washington  High  School, 
Inez  Hibbard,  Teacher  Commercial  Dept.,  same. 

I  trust  that  my  application  will  receive  favorable 
consideration. 

Very  truly  yours, 


Enclosure. 

I.      A  MODEL  LETTER  OF  APPLICATION 


102,  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


EXERCISES   FOR  WRITTEN   AND   ORAL   PRACTICE 

1.  Prepare  a  newspaper  advertisement  of  a  position  that  might  be 
open  to  a  high  school  graduate — boy  or  girl — requiring  the  usual 

details  of  the  applicant,  including  references. 

2.  Write  a  formal  letter  of  application  for  same,  you  yourself  being 
the  applicant  for  the  position. 

3.  Dictate  a  favorable  reply  from  one  of  the  references.     See  page  44. 

4.  Dictate  an  incomplete  but  favorable  reply  from  one  of  the  ref- 
erences.    See  page  45. 

5.  Dictate   an    unfavorable   reply   from   one   of   the   references.     See 
page  45. 


My  dear  Miss  Abbott: 

We  have  just  received,*  in  response  to  an  adver- 
tisement in  the  Gazette,  a  letter  of  application  from 
Elmer  F.  Clayton,  who  says  that  he  graduated  from  the 
Washington  High  School  in  June  19 —  and  has  given  your  name 
as  reference. 

Please  state,  in  confidence,  your  impression  of 
him  while  a  student  in  your  school  and,  especially,  your 
opinion  of  his  ability  and  fitness  to  learn  the  banking 
business. 

Respectfully  yours, 


Pres. 


II.   LETTER  TO  REFERENCE,  REQUESTING  INFORMATION 


LETTERS   OF   APPLICATION  103 

6.  Write  suitable  letters  of  application  to  the  following  newspaper 
advertisements : 

WANTED — Railroad  freight  department  stenographer  and  clerk; 
young  man  wanted;  $55  to  start;  state  age,  experience  and  training. 
Address  Box  275  K,  Sentinel. 

WANTED — Stenographer  and  general  office  clerk;  young  man  of 
good  habits;  state  age,  experience,  training,  and  salary  expected  to 
start  on. 

7.  A  young  man  of  good  health  and  habits  and  good  education  has  had 
ten  years'  experience  in  one  bank.     At  present  he  is  employed  as  a 

paying  teller,  but  desires    to    change    location    and    serve  in  another 


My  dear  Sir: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  23d  inst.,  I  take 
pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  ability  and  the  high  moral 
character  of  Elmer  F.  Clayton,  who  graduated  in  the  class  of 
June,  19--.   Mr.  Clayton  ranked  third  in  a  class  of  65  and 
did  considerable  work  outside  of  school.   Besides  ranking  so 
high  in  his  class,  he  was  always  .popular  with  his  teachers 
and  classmates.   Because  of  his  prominence  in  school  activ- 
ities and  his  popularity  among  the  students,  I  had  a  good 
opportunity  to  observe  him.   He  always- impressed  me  as 
being  a  clean,  straight-forward  kind  of  boy  with  more  than 
average  ability.   I  believe  that  he  has  many  qualities  that 
would  fit  him  for  learning  the  banking  business  and  I  take 
pleasure  in  recommending  him  to  your  favorable  consideration, 

Respectfully  yours, 


Principal 
III.       LETTER   FROM   REFERENCE,  GIVING   INFORMATION 


104  COMMEECIAL  ENGLISH 

Dear  Sir: 

We  are  pleased  to  inform  you  that  you  are  being 
considered  favorably  for  the  position  in  our  bank  for  which 
you  applied  on  the  20th. 

We  wish  to  compliment  you  on  the  fine  Quality  of 
your  letter  of" application  and  to  state  that  we  were  favor- 
ably impressed  with  replies  received  from  your  references. 

Please  arrange  to  meet  me  for  an  interview  at  the 
bank  on  Saturday,  July  30th,  at  2:30  p.  m. 
Very  truly  yours, 


President, 
IV.   LETTER  TO  APPLICANT,  REQUESTING  INTERVIEW 


My  dear  Sir: 

I  am  pleased  to  notify  you  that  you  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  position  in  our  bank  for  which  you  have  b- 
an  applicant,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  we  agreed  upon  in 
our  interview  of  last  Saturday;   namely,  $85  per  month,  with 
opportunity  for  advancement. 

Please  report  for  duty  en  Monday,  August  10,  at 
8:30  a.  m. 

I  congratulate  you  on  your  success  in  making  applica- 
tion and  trust  that  you  will  enjoy  your  new  work. 

Very  truly  yours, 

V.      TO   APPLICANT — NOTICE   OF   APPOINTMENT 


LETTERS   OF   APPLICATION  105 

capacity.  He  can  furnish  the  best  of  references.  Embody  all  these  de- 
tails in  a  well-worded  "Situations  Wanted"  ad,  to  be  inserted  in  a  daily 
paper  in  your  city.  Be  sure  that  everything  is  clear  and  omit  all  un- 
necessary words.    Use  Box  399, 

8.  Mr ,  Agent  of  the Express  Com- 
pany of ,  a  nearby  city,  reads  the  above  advertise- 
ment and  is  interested.  He  is  looking  for  a  man  to  take  care  of  the 
money  order  department  and  do  some  general  bookkeeping.  The  place 
will  pay  $80  per  month  to  start  with,  with  a  prospect  of  a  permanent 
position  and  good  salary  for  the  right  man.  Embody  these  facts  in  a 
letter  to  the  writer  of  the  advertisement,  requesting  him  to  submit  his 
application,  with  references.     Sign  the  letter,  as  agent  of  the  company. 

9.  Write  a  letter  to  an  applicant  for  a  position  you  have  advertised 
in  a  newspaper,  requesting  an  interview  and  stating  the  time  and 

place.    The  lobby  of  a  hotel  is  often  used  for  this  purpose. 

10.  Write  a  letter  to  the  person  interviewed,  in  which  you  state  that 
you  have  been  favorably  impressed  with  his  fitness  for  the  place 

and  that  you  take  pleasure  in  offering  it  to  him  at  a  salary  of  $100  per 
month  to  start  on,  as  per  your  discussion  with  him  in  the  interview. 
Urge  him,  in  a  dignified  way,  to  accept  the  position. 

11.  Write  the  letter  of  acceptance  of  the  successful   applicant.    Re 
quest  instructions  as  to  time  to  report. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

LETTERS  OF  RECOMMENDATION 

Use  in  Business.  Letters  of  recommendation  are  used  pri- 
marily by  applicants  for  positions  as  evidence  of  their  fitness. 

Personal  and  General.  There  are  two  kinds  of  letters  of 
application — personal  and  general.  Personal  letters  of  appli- 
cation are  addressed  directly  to  the  one  who  is  to  read  them. 
General  letters  of  recommendation  are  addressed  to  anyone 
who  may  be  interested  in  what  is  said  about  the  person  recom- 
mended, either  now  or  at  some  future  time,  or,  in  other  words, 
"To  Whom  It  May  Concern."  The  personal  form  is  given  to 
the  person  who  intends  to  use  it  in  connection  with  his  applica- 
tion for  a  definite  position.  It  may  be  written  at  his  request 
or  at  the  request  of  the  person  who  is  offering  the  position,  the 
applicant  having  given  the  name  of  the  writer  of  the  letter  of 
recommendation  as  a  reference.  The  general  letter  is  written 
when  the  person  recommended  desires  it  to  use  in  connection 
with  his  application  for  a  position  at  some  future  time.  For 
instance,  a  young  man  is  about  to  graduate  from  the  univer- 
sity. He  expects  to  apply  for  a  position  as  a  commercial 
chemist  during  the  following  summer.  He  has  been  doing 
good  work  in  the  class  of  a  certain  professor  and  knows  that 
his  recommendation  will  be  of  great  assistance  in  getting  a 
position.  He  goes  to  the  professor  and  gets  the  letter  which 
we  have  used  as  our  model.  See  page  107.  The  general  form 
of  recommendation  only  is  considered  in  this  chapter,  as  the 
personal  form  is  the  same  as  a  letter  of  inquiry  as  to  a  per- 
son's ability  or  character,  which  type  has  already  been  treated 
in  a  previous  chapter.     See  page  40. 

What  Should  Be  Said.     If  a  letter  of  recommendation  is  to 

106 


LETTERS   OF   RECOMMENDATION  107 

be  of  real  value  to  the  one  who  receives  it,  it  must  be  free  from 
commonplace  phrases  that  are  so  general  that  they  might  be 
applied  to  any  number  of  persons.  It  should  state  fully  and 
truthfully  the  merits  of  the  person  recommended  and  avoid 
even  the  slightest  suggestion  of  ' '  gush. ' '  The  writer  of  a  gen- 
eral letter  of  recommendation  is  usually  at  a  disadvantage, 
because  he  does  not  know  exactly  what  position  the  person  he 
is  writing  about  is  going  to  apply  for.  Whenever  it  is  pos- 
sible, therefore,  he  should  learn  this  important  fact,  so  that 
he  may  know  what  qualities  to  emphasize  in  his  letter. 

To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

This   is   to  certify  that  Mr.    James  Henry  Davis 
has  been  a  member  of  my  Advanced  Applied  Chemistry  class 
during  the  present   school  year.      He  received  a  final  grade 
of   "A",   which  is  given  only  for  work  of   the  highest   excel- 
lence.     Mr.   Davis  has   always   shown  great   interest  in  this 
subject  and  has  not   only  done  all   the   required  work  with 
distinction  but  has   also  performed  many  entirely  volunteer 
experiments.  ■  In  the   laboratory,   Mr.    Davis  has  always  been 
neat  and  painstaking   in  details   and  has    shown  a  scholarly 
interest  in  securing  accurate  results.      It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  recommend  him  to  anyone  who  may  require  his   services  as 
a  practical   chemist,   as   I  feel   confident  that  he  is  prepar- 
ed to  give  satisfactory  service. 

(    SIGNATURE    ) 

(University  of  Wisconsin,) 

(June  20, .  ) 

I    LETTER  OF  RECOMMENDATION — GENERAL  FORM 


108  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Use  of  a  Copy  of  the  Original.  Usually  it  is  necessary  for 
the  person  who  has  asked  for  a  letter  of  recommendation  to 
use  it  a  number  of  times  before  he  secures  a  position.  In  such 
a  case,  he  should  enclose  with  his  application  a  duplicate  of 
the  original  letter  rather  than  the  original,  so  that  he  may 
keep  it  for  use  at  some  future  time.  If  a  duplicate  is  sent,  it 
should  be  typewritten.  The  word  "duplicate"  or  "copy" 
should  be  written  above  the  letter  and  the  word  "signed" 
should  be  written  in  front  of  the  name,  in  parenthesis,  thus: 
(Signed)  George  H 

EXERCISES  FOR  ORAL  AND  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

1.  Write  a  letter  recommending  Howard  J.  Shaw,  a  paper-hanger  who 
has  been  in  your  employ  for  the  past  eight  years ;  a  member  of  the 

local  paper-hangers'  union ;  an  expert  decorator ;  always  gives  the  high- 
est satisfaction  on  every  job  on  which  he  works  and  has  been  called  for 
again  so  many  times  that  he  has  made  many  regular  customers  for  you ; 
is  an  expert  in  every  detail  of  the  paper-hanging  business  and  would 
be  capable  of  managing  a  gang  of  men ;  reason  for  leaving  you  is  neces- 
sity of  going  West  for  his  health. 

2.  You  are  discontinuing  the  draperies  department  of  your  home  dec- 
orating business  in  order  that  you  may  devote  all  your  time  and 

attention  to  the  other  departments.  This  will  throw  out  of  a  position 
your  clerk,  Mr.  Harry  K.  Troops,  who  has  conducted  this  department 
successfully  for  the  past  five  years.  He  has  taken  excellent  care  of 
your  interests,  has  been  courteous  to  customers,  has  shown  good  judg- 
ment in  buying,  and  has  made  many  friends  for  you.  Write  or  dictate 
a  strong  letter  of  recommendation. 

3.  One  of  your  traveling  salesmen  has  just  informed  you  that  unless 
you  can  give  him  an  increase  of  $25  per  month  in  salary  he  will  be 

forced  to  accept  the  offer  of  another  firm,  as  his  present  salary  is  not 
snllicient  to  meet  the  needs  of  his  family.  He  has  been  with  you  for 
seven  years  and  you  dislike  very  much  to  lose  his  services,  but  you  do 
not  feel  that  you  can  afford  to  make  the  increase  and  will,  therefore, 
be  compelled  to  let  him  go.  Write  or  dictate  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion that  will  commend  in  this  man  the  qualities  that  are  found  in  a 
first-class  salesman. 


USTTSBfi  Of  i;i:t o mm i:\d.\tion  109 

I.     You  will  graduate  from  your  high  school  the of  June, 

After  graduation,  you  expect  to  apply  for  a  position  as  clerk  in  a 
railroad  office.  You  are  doing  very  strong  work  in  commercial  English 
and  expect  to  receive  the  highest  mark.  Write  or  dictate  a  general 
letter  of  recommendation  from  your  teacher  that  will  contain  mention 
of  the  qualities  that  would  he  found  in  the  hest  type  of  student  in  a 
course  .>f  this   kind. 

."..  Y<»u  Inserted  a  want  ad  in  yesterday's  paper  for  a  man.  without  a 
family,  to  take  care  of  your  lawn  and  do  general  chores  about  the 
boose,  You  received  nearly  twenty  replies.  Among  the  best  was  a 
letter  from  a  Swiss  named  John  Wachek.  It  contained  a  letter  of  rec- 
ommendation from  a  prominent  eiti/.en.  with  whom  you  are  well  ac- 
quainted, who  is  about  to  take  an  extensive  trip  to  South  America.  John 
has  been  with  him  for  three  years;  is  very  successful  with  poultry; 
knows  how  to  -row  a  tine  vegetable  and  flower  garden;  is  handy  with 
tools,  etc.    Prepare  a  suitable  letter. 

•  ;.     Prepare  a  letter  from  the  superintendent  of  schools  of  another  city 
or  town  in  your  state,  recommending  a  young  man  to  teach  English 
in  your  school. 

7.  Recommend  a  boy  in  your  class  to  the  manager  of  the  classified 
department  of  the  daily  newspaper  in  your  city.    He  is  to  begin 

by  taking  want  ads  over  the  counter  and  will  have  opportunity  to  work 
Dp  to  the  position  of  solicitor.  Note  that  this  is  to  be  written  or  dic- 
tated  in  i>ersonal  rather  than  general  form.  Some  qualifications  that 
migbl  be  included  are  good  appearance,  ease  of  manner,  ability  to  talk 
well,  quickness  at  figures,  and  a  knowledge  of  elementary  advertising, 
as  taught  in  this  course. 

8.  Recommend,  "to  whom   it   may  concern,"  bill  clerk;  fast,  accurate, 
able  to  operate  adding  machine  and  typewriter,  exi>erience  in  rail- 
road office,  etc 

ff  wild     CLERK  FOB  LARGE  MACHINE  SHOP  AND  SHEET 
METAL     DEPARTMENT;     mist     BE     GOOD    WRITER    AND 
<d  n  k   l\   FIGURES.     ADDRESS  BOX  1.°»22,  NEWS.     Prepare  a  gen- 
eral letter  of  recommendation  for  an  experienced  man  who  would  make 

a  like!]  applicant  for  tins  position, 

in.    Recommend  a  jroung  iroman  ai  iuitaWe  for  the  position  of  sales- 
woman in  tin-  millinery  department  of  a  large  department  store. 


CHAPTER  IX 

LETTERS  OF  INTRODUCTION 

Use.  A  letter  of  introduction  is  given  by  the  writer  to  a 
friend  or  acquaintance  to  introduce  him  to  a  third  person. 

Illustration  of  Use.  A's  friend,  B,  learns  that  A  lias  a 
friend,  C,  who  is  living  in  Chicago  and  is  in  the  baking  busi- 
ness. B  is  about  to  go  to  Chicago  to  make  an  extensive  pur- 
chase of  baking  machinery  and  it  might  be  a  decided  advan- 
tage to  him  to  meet  A's  friend  C.  Accordingly,  A  gives  B  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  C. 

Limitation  of  Use.  In  actual  use  in  real  life,  the  following 
rules  for  letters  of  introduction  should  be  observed  carefully: 

1.  Do  not  give  a  letter  of  introduction  unless  you  are  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  persons  to  be  introduced. 

2.  Do  not  give  a  letter  unless  you  are  certain  that  these  persons 
have  a  ground  of  common  interest. 

3.  Do  not  give  a  letter  unless  the  persons  are  likely  to  find  it 
pleasant  and  agreeable  to  meet  each  other. 

Two  Forms  Used.  There  are  two  forms  of  the  letter  of  in- 
troduction— business  and  social.  The  business  form  is  used 
when  the  two  persons  are  introduced  for  business  purposes, 
and  the  social  form  when  they  are  introduced  for  social 
purposes. 

Presenting  a  Letter  of  Introduction.  Under  most  circum- 
stances, a  business  letter  of  introduction  is  presented  person- 
ally. A  social  letter  may  be  so  presented,  or  it  may  be  sent  by 
mail,  or  by  a  messenger.  If  it  is  presented  personally,  the 
bearer  should  be  especially  careful  not  to  present  it  when  the 

110 


LETTERS   OF   INTRODUCTION  111 

person  to  whom  it  is  addressed  is  busy  or  would  be  annoyed. 
This  is  due  to  the  writer  of  the  letter  as  an  evidence  of  appre- 
ciation of  the  favor  he  has  conferred  upon  the  bearer. 

Method.  There  are  usually  two  parts  to  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction, which  are  written  as  separate  paragraphs.  The  first 
part  contains  a  general  statement  of  the  act  of  introducing  the 
two  parties;  the  second  part  contains  a  general  recommenda- 
tion of  the  character  of  the  person  introduced. 


612  I^ee  St.  , 
Rockford,  111.,  August  27,  19-- 


Mr.  Harold  K.  Williams, 

16  E.  Jackson  Blvd., 

Chicago,  111. 

Dear  Sir: 

This  will  introduce  to  you  my  friend,  Mr.  Jo- 
seph Campbell,  of  this  city,  who  is  visiting  Chicago  to 
purchase  machinery  for  his  new  baking  establishment  in 
Madison,  Wisconsin. 

He  is  a  young  man  of  excellent  business  abil- 
ity and  stands  very  high  among  the  business  men  of  this 
city. 

He  will  appreciate  any  assistance  you  may  be 
able  to  give  him  and  it  will  be  considered  a  personal 
favor  by  me. 

Very  truly  yours, 


MODEL    LETTER   OF    IN  PRODUCTION— RUSINESS   FORM 


112  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Form.  The  business  letter  of  introduction  takes  the  regu- 
lar form  of  a  business  letter.  See  page  111.  The  social  letter 
of  introduction  takes  a  special  form  that  is  known  as  the 
"  military"  or  "semi-social"  form.  The  social  letter  is  not 
purely  social  in  form,  because  the  act  of  introduction  is  al- 


612  Lee  St., 
Rockford,  111.,  Aug.  27,  19- 


My  dear  Mr.  Williams: 

This  will  introduce  to  you  my  friend, 
Mr.  Joseph  Campbell,  of  this  city,  who  is  visiting  Chicago 
on  his  two  weeks  vacation.   Like  yourself,  he  is  very  much 
interested  in  amateur  photography  and  is  anxious  to  get 
some  good  pictures,  especially  of  the  parks  and  other  beau- 
tiful spots. 

He  is  a  young  man  of  broad  culture  and  clean 
habits  and  I  think  you  will  find  him,  as  I  have,  an  ideal 
companion  for  a  stroll. 

Any  attention  you  may  be  able  to  show  him  will 

be  considered  a  personal  favor  by  me. 

Very  truly  yours, 

or 

Yours  sincerely, 

or 

Cordially  yours, 


Mr.  Harold  K.  Williams, 

16  E.  Jackson  Blvd., 
Chicago,  111. 


MODEL  LETTER  OF  INTRODUCTION — SOCIAL  FORM 


LETTERS   OF   INTRODUCTION  113 

ways  more  or  less  formal.  The  semi-social  form  is  so  called 
because  it  is  partly  like  the  business  letter  and  partly  like  the 
social  letter. 

The  Superscription.  The  envelope  containing  the  letter  of 
introduction  is  addressed  the  same  as  any  business-size  en- 
velope, except  that  the  whole  address  is  placed  one  line  higher, 

so  as  to  permit  the  words  ' '  Introducing  Mr "  to  be 

inserted  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner.  If  social  size  station- 
ery is  used  in  writing  the  social  form,  which  is  less  common 
than  business  size,  the  envelope  will  not  be  so  wide,  so  that  it 
may  be  necessary  to  place  the  address  two  lines  higher  to 
divide  the  words  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner  by  putting 

"Introducing"  on  one  line  and  "Mr "on  the 

next. 


Mr. 

Harold  K. 

Williams, 

16  E„ 

Jac 

kson  Blvd., 
Chicago, 

111. 

Introducing 

Mr. 

Joseph  Campbell. 

ICODEE   SUPERSCRIPTION  TO   ACCOMPANY  A  LETTER  OF 
INTRODUCTION,  BUSINESS  FORM 

How  to  Determine  the  Form  to  Use.  It  is  an  easy  matter 
to  determine  whether  to  use  the  business  or  social  form  by 
keeping  always  in  mind  the  purpose  of  the  introduction  rather 
than  the  relation  of  the  first  two  parties. 


114  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Acknowledgment  of  a  Letter  of  Introduction.  While  it  is 
not  absolutely  necessary,  it  is  B  matter  of  courtesy  to  acknowl- 
edge a  letter  of  introduction.  This  is  especially  true  of  a 
social  letter  of  introduction.  The  following  is  the  letter  of 
acknowledgment  that  might  be  sent  after  having  received  the 
letter  given  on  page  112 : 

My     dear  Mr.    Harcourt: 

I  received  your  letter  of  August  27,    introduc- 
ing Mr.    Joseph  Campbell    and  wish   to   thank  you  for  giving 
me   the     opportunity  of  meeting   such  a  fine   fellow. 

Y/e   spent   a  very  pleasant   afternoon  together   in 
the   Chicago  parks   and   I   think  Mr.    Campbell  got   some  good 
pictures.      He  will    send  both  of  us   some,   when  he  gets   them 
finished. 

Cordially  yours, 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT  OF  A  LETTER  OF  INTRODUCTION 

Special  Note  on  the  Semi-Social  Form  of  Letter.  While  the  semi- 
social  form  of  letter  is  used  in  this  chapter  for  the  first  time,  it  may  be 
suited  to  a  number  of  different  occasions.  Frequently  it  is  used  in  place 
of  the  more  formal  business  letter  by  persons  who  are  well  acquainted, 
or  good  friends,  in  their  regular  business  correspondence.  It  is  rarely 
used,  however,  by  a  business  firm  in  correspondence  with  customers, 
however  well  the  persons  in  correspondence  may  be  acquainted.  It 
should  be  noted  carefully  at  this  time  that  the  purely  social  form  of 
letter  should  not  be  used  in  writing  about  matters  of  business.  Some 
business  men,  who  are  very  precise  in  their  use  of  proper  forms,  use 
the  semi-social  form  of  business  letter  in  writing  to  the  applicant  for  a 
position  after  having  met  him  in  an  interview.  This  use  of  the  semi 
social  form  becomes  then  a  means  of  acknowledgment  of  the  closer  per- 
sonal relation  that  has  been  established  by  the  interview.  Still  an- 
other use  is  in  writing  to  a  relative  on  business  matters,  in  which  case 
the  purely  social  letter  would  be  too  informal  for  the  purpose  and  the 
regular  business  form  would  be  too  formal. 


LETTERS   OF   INTRODUCTION  115 

EXERCISES  FOR  ORAL  AND  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

1.  Writing  from  540  Western  Avenue,  Decatur,  111.,  introduce  your 
friend,  Mr.  Morris  Jaffe,  a  promising  young  lawyer  of  that  city,  to 

Mr.  Donald  Snyder  of  the  firm  of  Snyder  &  Eastman  of  1502  East  Broad- 
\\  ay.  Mattoon,  111.  Mr.  Jaffe  is  going  to  Mattoon  to  collect  some  evi- 
dence on  a  case  to  be  tried  in  the  Decatur  court.  You  feel  that  it  will 
be  greatly  to  his  advantage  to  meet  Mr.  Snyder.  You  consider  Mr. 
Jaffe  a  young  man  of  excellent  business  qualifications  and  worthy  of 
Mr.  Snyder's  confidence.  Use  the  proper  form  and  close  with  the  usual 
I'h  rasing. 

2.  Your  friend,  Mr.  John  H.  Pope  of  227  Michigan  Street,  Lansing, 
Mich.,  is  about  to  leave  for  Pasadena,  Cal.,  to  spend  the  winter  for 

his  health.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  education  and  interesting  personality 
and  is  a  most  enthusiastic  chess  player.  Give  him  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  Albert  J.  Rabb,  an  old  college  chum  of  yours,  who,  you  remem- 
ber, was  a  great  chess  player  in  college  and  is  now  permanently  located 
in  Pasadena. 

3.  The  principal  of  the  high  school  of  a  certain  town  knows  that  the 
principal  of  the  high  school  in  a  neighboring  town  is  looking  for  a 

strong,  progressive,  young  man,  with  at  least  three  years  teaching  ex- 
perience, for  the  position  of  head  of  the  commercial  department.  The 
first  party  learns  at  a  state  teachers'  convention  that  a  friend  of  his, 
who  is  teaching  in  a  nearby  town,  is  looking  for  just  such  a  position. 
II  onsiders  this  man  competent  for  the  place.  Write  or  dictate  his 
letter  to  his  friend,  informing  him  of  the  opportunity,  advising  him  to 
call  upon  the  principal  of  the  school,  and  offering  to  write  for  him  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  the  principal  of  the  school. 

4.  The  young  man  who  is  looking  for  the  opportunity  writes  a  letter 
to  his  Mend,  the  high  school  principal,  thanking  him  very  cordially 

for  calling  his  attention  to  the  opening,   stating  that  he  will  go  to 

to  call  upon  the  principal  who  has  the  position  to  offer, 

and  requesting  that  the  letter  of  introduction  be  sent  so  as  to  reach  him 
not  later  than  Friday  morning,  as  he  expects  to  make  the  call  on  Satur- 
day morning.    Write  or  dictate  this  letter. 

5.  Prepare  the  letter  of  introduction,  giving  the  young  man  such  rec- 
ommendation for  training,  ability,  experience,  and  moral  character 

as  would  be  expected  of  a  first-class  applicant  .for  the  position.  Use 
business  form. 


116  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

6.  The  young  man  presents  the  letter  of  introduction   to   the   high 
school  principal  on  Saturday  morning  and  an  interview  is  arranged 

for  the  afternoon.    He  makes  a  very  favorable  Impression  and  securea 

the  position.  Both  he  and  the  principal  are  grateful  to  the  man  who 
wrote  the  letter  of  introduction.  Write  or  dictate  their  respective  letters 
of  appreciation  to  him. 

7.  Imagine  you  are  a  boy  in  the  Louisville  (Ky.)  Boys'  High  School. 
You   expect   to   spend   your   Christmas   vacation    in    Indianapolis. 

While  there,  you  would  like  to  do  some  work  in  the  State  Library  on 
the  "single  tax"  question,  which  you  are  soon  to  debate  in  an  inter- 
school  debate.  The  principal  of  your  school  is  well  acquainted  with 
Demarcus  Brown,  State  Librarian,  and  gives  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
him.     Prepare  such  a  letter,  using  the  business  form. 

8.  A  young  lady  who  graduated  from  Wellesley  College  last  June  is 
about  to  visit  Washington  on  a  pleasure  trip.    A  friend  of  hers, 

living  in  her  city,  is  well  acquainted  with  the  daughter  of  a  United 
States  Senator,  who  is  living  in  Washington  and  who  is  also  a  Wellesley 
graduate.  They  have  another  common  interest  in  the  fact  that  they 
both  made  an  extensive  study  of  civil  government  while  in  college. 
Write  a  suitable  letter  of  introduction ;  make  mention  of  the  common 
interests ;  and  commend  the  person  introduced  for  her  attractive  person- 
ality and  social  graces.  State  that  she  is  especially  interested  in  attend- 
ing sessions  of  Congress. 

9.  Write  or  dictate  an  original    letter    of    introduction   that  would 
require  the  business  form. 

10.  Address  the  envelope  for  same. 

11.  Write  a  letter  of  introduction,  social  form,  on  social  size  stationery. 

12.  Address  the  envelope  for  same. 


CHAPTER  X 

TELEGRAMS  AND  CABLEGRAMS 

Telegram  and  Cablegram  Defined.  The  word  telegram 
came  from  two  Greek  words,  which  gave  to  the  first  part  of 
the  word,  ' '  tele, ' '  the  meaning  ' '  far, ' '  and  to  the  latter  part  of 
the  word,  "gram,"  the  meaning  "a  writing."  A  telegram  is, 
therefore,  a  message  that  is  sent  to  a  distance  and  is  delivered 
in  written  form.  Following  the  invention  of  the  telegraph 
system  there  came  the  development  of  the  cablegraph  system, 
which  has  made  it  necessary  to  distinguish  between  the  tele- 
gram and  the  cablegram.  For  practical  purposes,  it  is  suf- 
ficient to  say  that  a  telegram  is  a  message  sent  by  wire  across 
the  land,  and  a  cablegram  is  a  message  sent  by  cable  across, 
or  under,  the  water.  A  message  from  Chicago  to  New  York 
would  be  sent  as  a  telegram,  and  one  from  Chicago  to  Lon- 
don as  a  cablegram. 

The  Uses  of  Telegrams.  Telegrams  are  used  extensively 
in  business  where  the  demands  of  haste  make  it  inadvisable  to 
use  a  letter,  even  when  it  is  sent  by  special  delivery.  They 
are  frequently  used  to  make  business  appointments,  to  place 
or  countermand  orders,  to  notify  of  changes  of  prices,  to  bind 
contracts,  to  instruct  traveling  salesmen,  etc.  In  private  and 
social  life,  they  are  used  to  send  messages  concerning  illness 
and  death,  to  inform  of  traveling  plans,  to  convey  greet- 
ings, etc. 

Classification  of  Telegrams.  There  are  six  different  kinds 
of  telegrams: 

1.  The  regular  day  message. 

2.  The  night  message. 

3.  The  repeated  message. 

4.  The  day  letter. 

5.  The  night  letter. 

6.  The  telegraphic  money  order. 

117 


118  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

Essential  Qualities  of  Telegrams.  There  are  two  essential 
qualities  to  be  desired  in  a  well-written  telegram — brevity  and 
clearness.  Both  are  important.  Since  the  charge  for  a  regu- 
lar telegram  is  based  on  a  maximum  of  ten  words  and  an  addi- 
tional charge  is  made  for  all  words  in  excess  of  that  number, 
there  are  practical  reasons  why  the  message  should  be  reduced 
to  a  brief  form  of  statement,  but  brevity  is  not  desirable  ex- 
cept in  so  far  as  it  is  consistent  with  clearness. 

RULES  RELATING  TO  TELEGRAPHIC  MESSAGES 

1.  Day  and  night  messages  are  usually  charged  for  on  a 
ten-word  basis,  with  an  additional  charge  for  each  word  above 
ten.  There  is  no  point,  therefore,  to  reducing  the  message 
below  the  ten-word  limit.  Messages  like  "Come"  and  "I 
accept"  are  to  be  avoided  by  using  the  larger  number  of  words 
to  give  details  that  will  make  the  situation  clearer  to  the  one 
who  receives  the  message.  The  first  of  these  two  messages 
might  thus  be  extended  to  read:  "Mother  no  better.  Take 
noon  train.     Will  meet  you." 

2.  No  charge  is  made  for  the  date,  the  name  and  address 
of  the  one  to  whom  the  message  is  sent,  or  the  signature  of  the 
sender. 

3.  Figures  are  not  telegraphed,  but  are  charged  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  words  that  would  be  required  to  write 
them  out.  Thus,  $215  would  be  counted  two  fifteen  dollars — 
three  words.  It  follows  from  this  that  it  is  a  convenience  to 
the  company  transmitting  the  message  if  the  sender  of  the 
message  uses  words  instead  of  figures  in  writing  his  message. 

4.  Hyphenated  words,  as  forty-five,  bill-board,  cut-rate, 
etc.,  are  counted  as  two  words.  In  names,  each  given  name 
or  initial  counts  as  one  word.  Abbreviations  consisting  of 
more  than  one  letter,  as  C.  0.  D.,  f.  o.  b.,  0.  K,  per  cent,  etc., 
are  counted  as  one  word,  if  sent  without  punctuation. 

Day  Message.  A  day  message  is  classed  as  full-rate,  im- 
mediate service,  and  takes  precedence  over  all  other  kinds  of 


TELEGRAMS   AND   CABLEGRAMS  119 

messages  in  transmission.  The  charge  varies  with  the  distance 
and  is  based  upon  a  ten-word  message,  with  an  additional 
charge  for  each  word  more  than  ten. 

Night  Message.  A  night  message  is  accepted  by  the  com- 
pany for  transmission  at  its  convenience  during  the  night  and 
delivery  not  earlier  than  the  morning  of  the  following  business 
day.  It  is  classed  as  " deferred"  service  and  is  sent  at  some- 
what reduced  rates.  Such  messages  are  accepted  by  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  up  to  2:00  a.  m.  They 
may  be  filed  at  any  time  of  the  day  previous  to  their  delivery 
or  at  an  earlier  date,  if  desired.  They  are  frequently  used  in 
business  because  of  the  convenience  they  afford.  For  in- 
stance, A,  living  in  Cincinnati,  may  take  a  train  for  New  York 
at  3  o'clock  p.  m.  and  file,  before  he  goes,  night  messages  that 
will  be  delivered  to  B,  C,  and  D  in  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  and 
Omaha,  respectively,  the  following  morning.  The  question  of 
the  use  of  day  and  night  messages  is  not  so  much  one  of  rate 
as  of  time  of  delivery.  Occasions  may  demand  that  a  day 
message  be  sent  at  night  and  a  night  message,  during  the  day. 
If  A  wires  B  at  10  o  'clock  p.  m.  to  take  the  midnight  train  for 
Minneapolis,  he  would  send  a  day  message,  so  that  it  might 
be  delivered  at  once  and  give  B  time  to  make  the  train ;  on  the 
other  hand,  if  A  wires  B  at  5  o'clock  p.  m.  to  drop  fifty  gross 
Eagle  Diagraph  pencils  number  two  from  his  order,  he  would 
send  a  night  message  to  be  delivered  the  following  morning 
because  a  day  message  could  not  likely  be  delivered  until  B's 
office  opens. 

Repeated  Messages.  Repeated  messages  are  messages  that 
are  telegraphed  back  to  the  originating  office  for  comparison. 
For  this  extra  service,  one-half  of  the  rate  of  the  unrepeated 
telegram  is  charged  in  addition-.  The  object  of  such  repeating 
is  to  secure  absolute  accuracy  in  the  transmission  of  the 
message. 

Night  Letter.  The  telegraph  companies  accept,  up  to  mid- 
night, night  letters  of  fifty  words  or  less  to  be  delivered  on  the 


120  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

morning  of  the  next  business  day  at  the  standard  rate  for  a 
ten-word  message.  One-fifth  of  such  standard  day  rate  for 
ten  words  is  charged  for  each  additional  ten  words  or  less. 
Such  messages  must  be  written  in  plain  language  only,  as  code 
words  are  not  permissible.  The  company  reserves  the  right 
to  make  delivery  at  destination  by  mail,  postage  prepaid. 

Day  Letters.  The  telegraph  companies  also  receive,  as  de- 
ferred service,  day  letters  of  fifty  words  or  less  at  the  rate  of 
one  and  one-half  times  the  standard  night  letter  rate.  A 
charge  of  one-fifth  of  the  initial  rate  is  made  for  each  addi- 
tional ten  words  or  less.  As  in  the  case  of  night  letters,  code 
language  is  not  permissible.  The  company  reserves  the  right 
to  make  telephonic  delivery.  Such  day  letters  are  subordinate 
in  priority  of  transmission  and  delivery  to  regular  telegrams. 
The  company  undertakes  only  to  effect  their  delivery  on  the 
day  of  their  date,  except  where  to  do  so  would  interfere  with 
the  handling  of  regular  telegrams. 

The  Use  of  Day  and  Night  Letters.  From  what  has  just 
been  said,  it  will  be  seen  that  day  and  night  letters  are  to  be 
used  only  when  there  is  no  urgent  need  of  haste  and  when  the 
nature  of  the  message  is  such  as  to  require  a  considerable 
amount  of  detail.  For  these  two  reasons,  they  are  much  less 
frequently  used  in  business  than  regular  telegrams. 

Cablegrams.  Cablegrams  differ  from  telegrams  chiefly  in 
the  greater  cost  of  sending  them  and  in  the  method  of  charg- 
ing. On  account  of  the  great  expense  of  installing  and  main- 
taining the  cables,  the  cost  of  a  cablegram  is  necessarily  much 
higher  than  that  of  a  telegram  and  frequently  runs  up  to  a 
dollar  and  a  half  or  two  dollars  a  word.  Every  word,  includ- 
ing name,  address,  and  signature,  is  charged  for  and  words 
containing  more  than  fifteen  letters  are  charged  for  as  two 
words. 

Cable  Code  Words.  In  order  to  decrease  the  great  cost  of 
cablegrams,  most  business  firms  use  cable  code  words.  Such 
words  must  not  contain  more  than  ten  letters,  and  if  plain  Ian- 


TELEGRAMS   AND   CABLEGRAMS  121 

guage  words  are  used  with  the  code  words  they,  too,  must 
also  not  contain  more  than  ten  letters  or  they  will  be  charged 
for  as  two  words.  The  selection  of  words  to  use  as  code  words 
is  a  purely  arbitrary  matter,  as  any  word  or  even  any  pro- 
nounceable group  of  letters  will  serve  the  purpose.  Business 
firms  that  have  considerable  foreign  business  usually  have  code 
words  for  each  article  in  their  catalogs  that  may  be  used  in 
giving  or  receiving  orders.  A  single  word  is  also  frequently 
used  by  such  houses  for  their  cable  address.  This  cable  ad- 
dress is  often  to  be  found  on  their  letterhead.  For  instance, 
" Ontario"  might  be  the  cable  address  of  the  Standard  Sheet 
Bfetal  Company  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Such  a  cable  address 
would  be  entered  in  the  directory  of  the  cable  companies,  which 
would  enable  them  to  ascertain  the  full  name  and  address  of 
the  firm  for  which  it  stands. 

Travelers'  Cable  Code.  For  the  convenience  of  travelers, 
who  may  have  occasion  to  send  cable  messages  and  who  may 
have  no  common  code  system,  the  cable  companies  have  com- 
piled and  have  accessible  at  all  their  offices,  an  extended  list 
of  code  words  that  cover  most  of  the  phrases  likely  to  be  used 
in  a  message.  These  code  words  are  at  the  disposal  of  the 
patrons  of  the  company,  both  in  sending  and  receiving 
messages. 

The  following  code  words  and  their  equivalents,  taken 
from  the  "Travelers'  Cable  Code"  of  the  Western  Union  Com- 
pany,  will  show  the  possibilities  of  condensing  the  message  by 
their  use: 

\  I  »<  >BE.  We  have  an  important  communication  for  you  to  be  sent  by 

mail.    Where  shall  it  be  addressed? 

BASTE.  Business  is  good,  and  everything  and  everybody  all  well. 

I  WLVE.  When  do  you  start  and  when  do  you  expect  to  arrive? 

DRIVE.  Advise  you  to  attend  to  the  matter  at  once. 

\Y.  As  soon  as  I  learn  anything  will  let  you  know. 

I-tssy.  Cannot  attend  to  the  matter  mentioned. 

GULCH.  Do  nothing  until  you  receive  my  letter. 


122  COMMSRC]  M.    ENGLISH 

HANDY.     Do  what  you  think  is  for  host  interests  of  all  concerned 
OWNER.     Keep  me  well  informed  hy  mail  and  wire  as  to  your  move- 
ments. 

PETER.     Market  weak  and  active.     Think  you  had  hetter  sell. 
SCALP.     Unless  you  think  it  will  pay  to  stay  longer,  I  should  advise 
return  at  once. 

Code  Words  in  Telegrams.  Code  words  may  be  used  in 
regular  telegrams,  but  not  in  day  or  night  letters.  They  are 
charged  for  at  the  same  rate  as  plain  language  words. 

Letters  Confirming  Telegrams.  Business  telegrams  are 
often  followed  by  letters  confirming  the  message  and  giving 
details  in  explanation  of  the  same.  Such  letters  usually  begin : 
"I  wired  you  this  morning  as  follows:"  or  "This  is  to  confirm 
our  telegram  of  yesterday  afternoon,  as  follows:"  The  mes- 
sage is  then  repeated  and  explanations  arc  given. 

EXERCISES  IN  TELEGRAMS  AND  CABLEGRAMS 

1.  Reduce  the  following  expressions  to  telegraphic  brevity : 

a.  Ship  at  once  by  American  Express. 

b.  If  the  proposition  is  satisfactory  to  you. 

c.  We  do  not  have  the  fleece-lined  gloves  in  stock  at  present. 

d.  Cannot  see  my  way  clear  to  accept  the  position  at  less  than 
one  hundred  dollars  per  month. 

e.  Better  not  make  the  shipment  to  the  Lewis  Brown  Co.  at 
present. 

2.  Reduce   the   following  letter  to   a   telegram   within   the   ten- word 
limit: 

Gentlemen : 

I  found  on  arriving  here  for  my  summer  vacation  that  I 
had  overlooked  the  fact  that  my  fire  insurance  policy  held  by 
your  agency  had  expired  before  I  left. 

Please  renew  the  policy  for  two  years  and  charge  to  the 
Bolton  Real  Estate  Company  of  your  city,  who  have  the  renting 
of  the  property. 

3.  Send  a  ten-word  telegram  to  your  agent,  who  is  now  in  Chicago  at 
the  Palmer  House,  advising  him  to  buy  all  the  Arizona  railroad 


TELEGRAMS   AND   CABLEGRAMS  123 

stock  he  sees  upon  the  market  and  state  that  you  will  give  explanations 
later  in  a  letter. 

4.  As  a  traveling  salesman,  advise  your  firm  of  the  time  when  you 
will  arrive  in  Philadelphia  and  state  the  name  of  the  hotel  to  which 

they  should  send  your  mail. 

5.  Wire  the  Southern  Express  Company  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  to  hold  your 
shipment  addressed  to  Henderson  &  Adams  until  they  have  further 

instructions. 

6.  Wire  the  Pullman  ticket  agent  of  the  Chicago  &  North  Western 
Railroad  at  their  depot  in  Chicago  to  reserve  one  lower  berth  for 

you  on  their  train  leaving  at  11 :30  tonight  for  Omaha. 

7.  Wire  A.  G.  Spaulding  &  Bros.,  74  Summer  Street,  Boston,  Mass.,  to 
increase  the  order  of  basket  ball  outfits  from  your  school  to  supply 

eight  men  rather  than  six,  as  previously  ordered.     Sign  your  own  name. 

8.  Write  an  original  telegram  that  will  require  more  than  ten  words, 
but  not  more  than  fifteen. 

9.  Write  an  original  day  or  night  letter  of  about  fifty  words  that  will 
give  some  account  of  your  traveling  plans,  imagining  that  you  are 

on  the  way  to  California  to  spend  the  winter,  and  that  the  folks  at  home 
are  somewhat  uneasy  because  the  train  service  has  been  reported  as 
being  tied  up  on  account  of  blizzards  and  snow  storms. 

10.  Write  an  original  cablegram  that  shall  consist  of  three  plain  lan- 
guage  words   and   two   code  words,    taken   from    those   given   on 

pages  121  and  122.     Supply  a  code  address. 

11.  Write  a  letter  confirming  an  original  telegram. 

12.  Criticise  the  following  telegrams,  all  of  which  were  written  by  a 
student : 

Hold  Brown  Co.  shipment.     Letter  of  explanation  will  follow, 
ship  one  Dodge  car  as  per  contract  by  Big  Four. 
Katherine  very  low.    Cancel  dates  and  come  at  once. 

tve  tonight  for  Chicago.    Address  my  mail  to  my  hotel. 
I'uy  all  Arizona  Western  on  market    Inside  dope. 
Bandit!  taken.    Meet  train  at  Blue  Gulch. 
Iiuitossible  to  ship  goods  by  date  set.    Wire  instructions. 
Would  like  important  interview  with  you  tomorrow  at  ten.  Wire. 
Arrive  ten  thirty  Grand  Central  Station.     Meet  me. 


CHAPTER  XI 

HOW  CORRESPONDENCE  IS  HANDLED  IN  A 
BUSINESS  OFFICE 

The  Different  Departments.  While  the  methods  of  conduct- 
ing business  vary  greatly,  even  with  firms  in  the  same  line, 
most  office  forces  are  now  organized  in  departments.  The  fol- 
lowing are  some  of  the  more  common  departments : 

1.  Credit  Department. 

2.  Shipping  Department. 

3.  Correspondence  Department. 

4.  Advertising  Department. 

Distribution  of  the  Mail.  By  the  time  the  office  force  has 
arrived  in  the  morning,  the  mail  will  likely  have  been  received. 
It  is  then  distributed  to  the  various  departments.  If  a  letter 
has  in  it  items  of  business  that  require  the  attention  of  several 
departments,  it  is  passed  on  from  one  department  to  another  or 
duplicates  of  all  or  parts  of  it  are  made  by  a  stenographer  to 
whom  the  duty  is  assigned. 

Duplicates.  As  the  business  of  the  day  progresses  and  the 
items  of  business  in  the  morning  mail  are  taken  care  of,  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  firm  have  duplicates  of  every 
letter  that  goes  out  of  the  office,  so  that  they  may  be  placed  in 
the  files  as  a  matter  of  record. 

Press  Copy.  Railroad  and  express  offices  and  a  few  other 
offices  make  duplicates  on  a  copying  press,  which  are  commonly 
called  "press  copy."  Such  a  system  of  duplicates  is  usually 
used  when  it  is  desirable  to  have  one  or  more  facsimile  copies 
of  business  papers,  the  originals  of  which  could  not  easily  be 

124 


HOW    CORRESPONDENCE    IS   HANDLED  125 

made  upon  a  typewriter — freight  way  bills,  for  instance.  A 
copying  press  outfit  consists  of  a  copying  press,  a  book  of  tissue 
leaves,  and  a  purplish  ink,  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose. 
The  following  is  the  process  of  making  duplicates  with  a  letter 
press : 

1.  Place  an  oiled  board  between  the  sheet  on  which  the  letter  is 
to  be  copied  and  the  already  used  part  of  the  book  to  the  left. 
Then  place  a  damp  cloth  or  blotter  between  the  oiled  board  and 
the  sheet  to  be  used.  Turn  the  sheet  down  on  the  damp  cloth 
or  blotter. 

2.  Place  the  letter,  face  downward,  on  this  sheet. 

.:.     Place  a  damp  cloth  or  blotter  on  the  letter. 

4.  Turn  the  next  page  of  the  book  down  upon  this ;  place  the  next 
letter  to  l>e  copied,  face  downward,  upon  it;  place  a  damp  cloth 
upon  this  letter,  etc. 

r>.  Place  an  oiled  board  upon  the  last  damp  cloth  or  blotter,  so  as  to 
protect  the  unused  portion  of  the  book,  to  the  right,  from 
dampness. 

G.  Place  the  book  in  the  press  and  subject  it  to  pressure  by  screw- 
ing the  steel  plate  down  upon  it.  Typewritten  letters  will  re- 
quire about  two  minutes.  Pen-written  letters  Copy  almost 
instantly. 

7.  Remove  the  letters  ami  all  other  material  from  the  book.  The 
impreaolona  will  have  l>een  made  on  the  back  of  the  tissue  leaves 
and  may  easily  be  read  through  them. 

Carbon  Copy.  Most  business  offices  now  prefer  the  carbon 
copy  to  the  press  copy  because  it  is  more  convenient,  requires 
less  time,  and  is  a  more  valuable  duplicate,  as  a  matter  of 
id.  Unlike  a  letter  press  copy,  a  carbon  copy  is  made  at 
tin-  same  time  and  by  tin-  lame  process  as  the  original  and  con- 
in  ins  a  facsimile  reproduction  of  every  mechanical  detail  of 
tin-  typewriting  of  the  original.  It  may,  therefore,  be  intro- 
duced in  a  court  room  as  a  duplicate  original.  Hence,  it  is 
the  most  valuable  duplicate  that  may  be  obtained. 


126  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

Initials  of  the  Correspondent  on  the  Letter  Sheets.  In 
order  to  keep  the  letter  sheets  of  one  correspondent  from  be- 
coming mixed  with  those  of  another,  many  business  houses  put 
the  initials  of  the  correspondent,  with  the  page  number,  at  the 
top  of  each  sheet,  beginning  with  the  second.  Examples: 
K.  B.  2,  W.  K.  B.  3,  etc.  These  initials  and  numbers  may  be 
placed  in  either  corner  or  in  the  center.  The  logical  place  is. 
perhaps,  the  right  hand  corner,  as  it  is  the  one  that  is  seen  in 
turning  over  the  letter  sheets. 

Indicating  Enclosures.  In  order  that  the  enclosures  that  go 
with  a  letter  may  not  be  overlooked  at  the  time  it  is  prepared 
for  the  mail,  it  is  customary  to  write  ''enclosure,"  "2  en- 
closures," etc.,  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner  on  the  first  line 
below  the  signature.     See  the  model  letter  on  page  21. 

Letter  Filing.  As  soon  as  the  letters  that  were  received  in 
the  early  morning  mail  have  been  answered,  or  their  contents 
otherwise  disposed  of,  the  need  of  some  system  of  filing  UK- 
originals  and  duplicates  of  replies,  arises.  There  are  on  the 
market  and  to  be  found  in  all  business  offices  of  any  size  or 
importance,  a  number  of  excellent  filing  systems  that  are 
manufactured  by  reliable  firms  and  contain  their  own  distinct- 
ive features  and  advantages.  A  discussion  of  the  subject  of 
letter  filing  is,  therefore,  limited  to  the  general  details  that  are 
common  to  all  systems. 

Characteristics  of  a  Good  Filing  System.  Any  good  filing 
system  should  be  able  to  meet  the  following  requirements: 

1.  It  should  hold  all  correspondence  and  duplicates  in  the  smallest 
possible  [lumber  of  folders  and  compartments. 

2.  It  should  require  the  fewest  possible  number  of  processes  to  And 
letters  and  duplicates  filed,  consistent  with  the  requirements  <>f 
the  business. 

3.  It  should  occupy  a  minimum  <>f  space  in  the  office. 

4.  It  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  be  dust-proof. 


NOW    CORRESPONDENCE   IS  HANDLED  127 

Kinds  of  Filing  Systems.  There  are,  in  general,  three  dis- 
tinct kinds  of  filing  systems:  alphabetical,  numerical,  and 
geographical. 

Alphabetical  Filing.  Alphabetical  filing  is  used  in  lines  of 
business  in  which  there  is  correspondence  of  considerable  bulk 
with  only  a  fairly  large  number  of  correspondents. 

Bach  correspondent  has  a  separate  compartment  or  folder 
in  the  file,  which  has  a  tab  bearing  the  letter  of  the  alphabet 
or  the  name  of  the  firm. 

There  is  only  one  process  necessary  in  looking  up  corre- 
spondence under  this  system,  so  that  it  should  be  preferred  to 
all  others  wherever  it  is  possible  to  use  it. 

In  order  to  keep  the  number  of  compartments  or  folders 
■a  small  as  possible,  letters  of  occasional  correspondents  are 
filed  in  a  miscellaneous  compartment  or  folder,  which  is  placed 
at  the  ♦■ml  of  each  alphabetical  subdivision. 

Numerical  Filing.     Numerical  filing  is  used  in  lines  of  busi- 
i  in  which  there  is  correspondence  with  a  large  number  of 

correspondents,   but   writh   a   comparatively  small   number   of 

letters  from  each. 

Instead  of  a  name  or  a  letter  of  the  alphabet,  a  number  is 
placed  upon  the  tab  of  the  folder  or  compartment. 

'I'h is  makes  it  possible  to  put  the  correspondence  of  several 
correspondents  together,  the  number  depending  on  the  bulk. 

The  names  of  the  correspondents  are  kept  in  a  card  index, 
which  shows  the  file  number  of  each. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  there  are  two  processes  in 
numerical  filing  and  only  on.-  in  alphabetical,  so  that  the  latter 
I!  advantage  over  the  former  in  that  respect. 

Geographical  Filing.     Geographical  filing  is  used  in  lines 
:n  which  it  is  important  to  know  the  results  that 
are  being  obtained  in  various  territorial  divisions. 


128  COMMERCIAL    KMJI.ISN 

It  differs  from  the  alphabetical  only  in  that  the  names  of 
towns  and  cities  are  used  on  the  tabs,  instead  of  letters  of  the 
alphabet.  The  name  of  the  firm  is  used  with  the  name  of  the 
town  or  city  by  most  business  firms  using  this  system.  Exam- 
ple :     Abilene,  Kans.     Baker  Brothers  &  Jones. 

Transfer  Filing.  After  the  correspondence  in  the  regular 
files  has  become  so  old  that  it  is  rarely  needed  for  reference,  it 
is  transferred  to  other  cabinets  that  contain  the  same  system, 
or  to  inexpensive  filing  boxes  that  are  made  especially  for  this 
purpose.  The  contents  of  each  box  is  indicated  on  a  label 
on  the  back,  which  usually  has  a  place  for  the  dates  which  the 
correspondence  covers. 

The  Handling  of  the  Correspondence  at  the  Close  of  the 

Day.  Near  the  close  of  the  business  day,  the  letters  that  have 
been  written  during  the  day,  if  they  have  not  already  been 
sent,  must  be  gotten  ready  for  the  mail.  Such  letters  are 
passed  to  the  person  who  dictated  them  or  to  the  head  stenog- 
rapher for  correction.  Then  they  are  signed  by  the  proper 
person,  after  any  necessary  corrections  have  been  made.  Often 
one  officer  of  the  company  signs  all  the  outgoing  mail.  Care 
is  used  to  see  that  necessary  enclosures  are  placed  with  the 
letters  to  which  they  are  to  be  attached.  The  letters  are  then 
folded,  inserted  in  the  envelopes,  sealed,  stamped,  and  sent  to 
the  post  office. 

There  still  remains  one  very  important  item  of  business  in 
connection  with  the  closing  up  of  the  correspondence  of  the 
day.  This  is  the  filing  of  the  letters  that  were  received  during 
the  day  and  the  carbon  duplicates  of  the  letters  that  were 
sent  in  reply.  Each  letter  is  usually  fastened  with  its  dupli- 
cate reply  before  filing  in  the  proper  compartments  of  the  files. 
It  is  extremely  important  that  this  be  done  carefully,  so  that 
the  previous  correspondence  may  be  available  at  any  time 
when  needed. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ELEMENTARY  ADVERTISING 
A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  ADVERTISING 

Early  Beginnings.  The  extension  of  business  by  the  judi- 
cious and  systematic  use  of  printer's  ink  is  one  of  the  marvels 
of  our  time.  Yet  advertising  is  by  no  means  of  recent  origin. 
Its  early  beginnings  go  back  beyond  the  Christian  era  to  the 
ancient  civilizations  of  India,  Persia,  China,  and  Japan.  In 
those  olden  days,  when  the  primitive  peoples  wandered  from 
place  to  place,  the  trader  hawked  his  wares  or  displayed  them 
before  his  tent  on  the  highway.  With  a  little  imagination,  we 
can  see  foreshadowed  the  modern  auctioneer  and  the  window 
display.  In  the  days  when  Greece  was  at  the  height  of  her 
'culture,  the  town-crier,  the  remote  ancestor  of  that  familiar 
New  England  figure,  was  calling  out  his  "lost  and  found" 
items  on  the  street,  a  function  that  has  now  been  assumed  by 
the  daily  newspapers.  Both  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans 
whitened  spaces  on  the  walls  of  their  houses  to  display  notices 
of  public  or  private  business.  Today  the  same  use  is  made  of 
ngn-boardfl  and  bill-boards.  Furthermore,  the  ancient  book- 
sellers posted  placards  in  their  shops  to  announce  the  latest 
works  of  the  best-known  authors,  much  as  our  book-sellers 
advertise  the  "six  best  sellers." 

The  Middle  Ages.  In  the  gloomy  days  of  the  middle  ages, 
when  education  was  despised  by  the  masses  and  confined  to 
the  clergy,  the  tailor  hung  his  goose  or  a  pair  of  shears  above 
his  shop  door  as  a  symbol  of  his  business,  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  were  unable  to  read.  Likewise,  the  inns  used  names 
that  could  be  represented  in  signs  without  words;  such   as, 

129 


130  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

"The  Bell,"  "The  Swan,"  or  "The  Red  Cock."  Later,  when 
the  interest  in  education  revived,  words  were  put  on  these  sign- 
boards. Today  we  still  have  the  boot,  the  painted  pole,  the 
pestle  and  mortar,  and  the  three  gilded  halls,  to  advertise  the 
shoe  repair  shop,  the  barber  shop,  the  drug  store,  and  tin 
pawn-broker's  shop. 

The  Town-crier.  Town-criers  became  a  powerful  adver- 
tising  force  in  France  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  in  England 
in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  They  cried  out  the 
wares  of  the  merchants  much  like  glaring  headlines  of  the 
advertisements  cry  out  the  special  sales  of  our  large  depart- 
ment stores. 

Advertising  in  England.  The  first  printed  advertisement 
is  said  to  have  been  printed  by  William  Caxton  in  1480,  in  tin- 
form  of  a  small  poster,  announcing  the  sale  of  "Pyes  of  Salis- 
bury Use,"  a  set  of  rules  for  the  government  of  the  priests  of 
Salisbury.  From  this  time  down  to  the  eighteenth  century, 
there  was  a  gradual  growth  of  advertising.  Conditions  at 
that  time  are  interestingly  described  by  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson 
in  a  number  of  his  "Idler"  in  1759:  "Whatever  is  common 
is  despised.  Advertisements  are  now  so  numerous  that  they 
are  negligently  pursued,  and  it  is,  therefore,  become  necessary 
to  gain  attention  by  magnificence  of  promises,  and  by  elo- 
quence sometimes  sublime  and  sometimes  pathetic."  During 
the  first  half  of  the  century,  advertising  became  coarse  and 
degraded,  in  harmony  with  the  low  moral  standards  of  the 
times.  At  this  time,  it  was  abandoned  to  quacks  and  pro- 
moters of  lotteries  and  to  enterprises  of  questionable  morality. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  century,  it  was  taken  up  again  by  good 
business  and  a  large  number  of  new  things  were  advertised  in 
the  "London  Times." 

Advertising  in  America.  In  America,  ili«i  first  colonial 
newspapers  carried  advertising.  The  cony  was  usually  re- 
mote and  crude  and  consisted  frequently  of  far-fetched  at- 
tempts to  De  humorous.     A  common   practice  was  to  state  in 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  131 

the  space  that  it  had  been  bought  and  paid  for  by  John  Smith, 
but  that  as  his  business  was  sufficiently  brisk,  it  was  not  neces- 
sary for  him  to  use  it. 

Advertising  Since  the  Civil  War.  As  soon  as  business  be- 
gan to  recover  from  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  Civil  War, 
advertising  expanded  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  the  country, 
barns  and  fences  were  covered  with  advertisements  of  com- 
modities that  might  appeal  to  the  farmers  and,  when  all  avail- 
able space  had  been  crowded  to  the  utmost  and  found 
insufficient,  bill-boards  were  erected  along  the  highways  and 
railroad  tracks.  Bill-boards  and  bill  posting  then  spread  to 
the  cities  until  greatly  overdone,  and  many  cities  were  forced 
to  pass  restrictions  to  prevent  them  from  becoming  a  nuisance. 

Advertising  Today.  Today  advertising  has  taken  almost 
every  conceivable  form.  The  old,  symbolic  signs  of  the  middle 
ages  have  given  way  to  the  dazzling,  electric  signs  that  pro- 
long the  working  day  of  the  advertisement  far  into  the  night. 
Calendars,  blotters,  circulars,  pamphlets,  and  all  kinds  of  in- 
genious novelties,  souvenirs,  and  premiums  are  being  utilized 
to  the  utmost  to  extend  trade.  The  Rural  Free  Delivery  has 
tended,  somewhat,  to  turn  the  tide  of  advertising  back  to  the 
country.  Newspapers  pride  themselves  on  their  effectiveness 
in  building  up  local  business;  while  our  great  monthlies  and 
trade  journals  are  making  the  names  of  many  commodities 
"household  words." 

Tin:  CONSTRUCTIVE  PRINCIPLES  OF    LDVERTISIttQ 

What  Is  Advertising?  In  the  preceding  pages  we  have 
traced  the  history  of  advertising  from  its  remotest  beginnings 
to  the  present  day.  We  have  been  iisin^  the  term  "advertis- 
ing" in  its  broadest  sense  to  include  all  possible  forms — news- 
papers, magazines,  bill-boards,  ear  cards,  electric  signs,  nov- 
elties, souvenirs,  and  even  window  displays.  In  its  broader 
meaning  " advertising "  may  cover  any  form  of  publicity  that 

is  used  t<»  extend  business.      Various  attempts  have  been  made 


132  COMMKWi  I  \I.    ENGLISH 

to  define  advertising  as  "the  application  of  printer's  ink  to 
business,"  "salesmanship  in  print,"  etc.  Our  interest  in  ad- 
vertising is  chiefly  in  the  principles  that  underly  the  prep- 
aration of  effective  copy  and  relate  it  to  the  subject  of  com- 
mercial English.  We  shall  touch  upon  its  psychology  and  art 
principles,  but  these  matters  will  be  incidental  to  the  expres- 
sion side,  to  advertising  as  a  printed  appeal  to  the  public  for 
the  purpose  of  making  sales. 

Advertising  Mediums.  The  preparation  of  advertising 
copy  for  the  printer  implies  an  advertising  medium  through 
which  the  advertisement  will  be  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  public.  Advertising  mediums  are,  in  general,  of  two  kinds, 
stationary  and  circulating.  A  stationary  medium  brings  the 
reader  to  the  advertisement,  while  a  circulating  medium  brings 
the  advertisement  to  the  reader.  The  following  is  a  simple 
classification  of  advertising  mediums: 

Stationary  advertising  mediums: 

Bill-boards 
Car  cards 
Electric  signs 

Circulating  advertising  mediums: 

Newspapers 
Magazines 
Trade  journals 

The  stationary  medium  is  used  primarily  to  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public  and  by  constant  reminders  to  fix  the  name 
or  merits  of  the  product  in  the  memory.  As  a  result,  it  is  ex- 
pected that  the  public  will  come  to  regard  the  product  as  an 
old  acquaintance  and,  when  occasion  arises,  will  give  it  a  pref- 
erence over  less  known  or  unknown  brands.  This  kind  of 
publicity  is  the  special  field  of  the  bill-board  and  car  card. 
They  are  a  direct  medium  in  that  they  are  so  placed  that  they 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  133 

must  be  read  by  a  certain  number  of  persons.  A  fixed  rate  is 
charged  for  the  service,  which  is  based  upon  the  possible  num- 
ber of  persons  who  would  be  likely  to  read  the  advertisements. 
The  rate  for  car  card  service,  for  instance,  is  based  upon  the 
average  number  of  passengers  carried  by  the  car  system  per 
day,  so  that  it  differs  in  cities  of  different  size.  The  electric 
sign,  one  of  the  newest  advertising  mediums,  is  like  the  bill- 
board and  car  card  in  that  it  makes  its  appeal  from  a  fixed 
location.  It  has  at  least  two  advantages  over  nearly  all  the 
other  advertising  mediums.  It  prolongs  the  business  day  into 
the  night  and  it  familiarizes  the  public  with  the  place  of  busi- 
ness of  the  advertiser,  from  which  it  is  usually  displayed.  We 
shall  pay  but  little  attention  to  advertisements  by  stationary 
mediums  as,  in  their  case,  the  appeal  is  limited  and  general  and 
involves  few  problems  in  the  preparation  of  copy. 

Among  the  circulating  mediums,  the  newspaper  is  the  most 
widely  used  by  advertisers  and  read  by  the  general  public. 
Because  its  circulation  is  almost  entirely  local,  its  advertising 
partakes  of  the  same  character  and  is  confined  largely  to  local 
products  and  the  business  of  merchants.  As  a  medium,  it  has 
an  advantage  over  the  magazine  in  its  more  frequent  publica- 
tion and  more  general  reading  public.  Today  there  are  very 
few  persons  who  do  not  read  a  daily  or  weekly  newspaper,  but 
the  number  who  read  the  weekly  or  monthly  magazine  is  still  a 
comparatively  small  proportion  of  the  total  population.  Still, 
the  newspaper  is  not  used  extensively  for  national  publicity,  as 
it  is  too  expensive  for  this  purpose,  since  a  high  rate  is  easily 
maintained  because  of  its  great  value  for  local  publicity.  Sev- 
eral of  our  best  known  weekly  and  monthly  magazines  have  a 
circulation  of  a  million ;  so  it  is  easy  to  see  that  it  would  take 
tli»-  combined  circulation  of  a  large  number  of  newspapers  to 
equa]  t hat  number  and  the  result  would  be  a  cost  that  would 
be  almost  prohibitive.  For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  most 
business  firms  give  the  magazine  the  preference  for  national 
publicity.  In  spito  of  this  fact,  it  is  impossible  to  disregard 
the  value  of  the  newspaper,  even  for  national  publicity,  so  that 


134  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

quite  a  number  of  firms  select  the  best  of  the  larger  newspapers 
and  secure  national  publicity  through  their  combined  local 
circulation. 

In  comparing  the  newspaper  with  the  magazine,  we  have 
emphasized  the  greater  value  of  the  latter  for  national  pub- 
licity. It  has  several  other  advantages  over  the  newspaper 
that  recommend  it  to  the  prospective  advertiser.  The  fre- 
quent publication  of  the  newspaper  means,  usually,  hasty  pub- 
lication. This  does  not  give  time  to  do  full  justice  to  copy  for 
a  high  class  advertisement  that  is  intended  to  appeal  to  a  select 
and  refined  public,  as  time  will  not  permit  attention  to  the 
little  details  that  help  to  produce  the  artistic  effect  of  the  ad- 
vertisement. Also,  the  paper  on  which  newspapers  are 
printed  is  far  inferior  to  the  stock  on  which  the  high  class 
magazines  are  printed,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  use  fine  screen 
cuts  effectively.  The  newspaper  has  a  further  disadvantage 
in  that  its  life  is  much  shorter  than  that  of  the  magazine.  A 
magazine  will  be  read  for  at  least  a  week,  while  it  may  be  read 
for  a  month.  A  newspaper  is  stale  on  the  next  day  after  pub- 
lication and  is  seldom  read  except  when  fresh.  This  means 
that  if  an  advertisement  in  a  newspaper  is  not  read  on  the  day 
that  it  first  appears,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  read  at  all. 

This  difference  between  the  newspaper  and  the  magazine 
is  seen  in  the  advertisements  they  contain.  The  newspaper 
advertisement  is  fresh,  seasonable,  and  local  in  character.  It 
offers  inducements  that  are  open  to  the  public  for  a  limited 
time  only.  It  advertises  bargains  and  quotes  prices.  The 
magazine  advertisement,  by  contrast,  is  more  general  and 
national.  Its  offers  hold  good  for  a  longer  time.  It  is  more 
carefully  prepared  and  is  intended  for  a  more  leisurely 
reading. 

How  Advertising  Is  Measured.  Advertising  in  all  but  a 
few  of  the  small  newspapers,  is  measured  by  the  agate  line. 
fourteen  lines  to  the  inch.  Most  of  the  progressive  newspapers 
have  adopted  a  flat  line  rate  that  applies  to  all  classes  of  adver- 


KI  l.MENTARY    ADVERTISING  135 

tising  except  undisplayed,  or  classified,  as  it  is  commonly 
known.  (  lassified  advertising  is  sold  at  a  flat  word  rate,  one 
cent  per  word  being  the  usual  charge.  An  agate  line  is  meas- 
ured up  and  down  the  column  only  and  does  not  apply  to  the 
width.  The  width  of  a  standard  newspaper  column  is  13  ems, 
or  2^4  inches.  In  ordering  small  advertisements,  it  is  custom- 
ary to  specify  the  size  in  terms  of  inches  and  columns,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  space  is  charged  for  by  the  agate  line. 

Advertising  space  in  the  standard  monthly  magazines  is 
usually  sold  by  the  page,  half  page,  quarter,  etc.  The  size  of 
tin-  page  in  a  standard  size  magazine  is  S1/^  by  8  inches,  not 
including  the  heading.  If  the  page  is  divided  into  two  col- 
umns, by  a  slug  or  rule,  they  are  approximately  2%  inches 
wide.  The  width  of  the  column  of  the  standard  four-column 
folio  magazine;  such  as,  "The  Ladies'  Home  Journal"  and 
"The  Saturday  Evening  Post,"  is  21/4  inches,  the  same  as  the 
standard  newspaper  column.  In  such  magazines  advertising 
is  measured  by  the  column  as  well  as  by  the  page.  A  page  in 
one  of  these  magazines  is  about  four  times  as  large  as  a  page 
in  one  of  the  smaller  standard  monthly  magazines.  An  adver- 
tisement that  is  run  as  a  page  in  "Harper's"  can,  therefore,  be 
run  as  approximately  a  quarter  page  in  "The  Saturday  Even- 
ing Post." 

A  more  recent  magazine  size  is  illustrated  by  "Every- 
body's," the  "Cosmopolitan,"  and  the  "American."  The 
type  page  in  these  magazines  is  approximately  7x10  inches, 
divided  into  three  columns,  practically  the  width  of  a  news- 
paper column.  Advertising  is  sold  by  the  page  or  by  the 
column. 

In  all  magazines,  small  advertisements  are  charged  for  by 
the  agate  line,  fourteen  lines  to  the  inch,  as  in  newspapers. 

How  Much  Space  to  Buy.  In  purchasing  advertising  space, 
the  advertiser  should  be  guided  by  the  proposition  to  be  adver- 
tiaed.  A  doctor's  card  may  be  effective  in  a  one-inch,  single- 
eolumn  space  in  the  daily  newspaper,  while  a  mill  end  sale  may 


136  •  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

require  a  page.  In  the  former,  the  purpose  is  to  give  publicity 
to  the  name,  profession,  location,  office  hours,  and  telephone 
number.  All  these  items  are  details  that  have  only  to  be 
stated.  In  the  mill  end  sale  advertisement,  there  are  many 
more  items  and  it  is  necessary,  also,  to  establish  values  by  de- 
scription and  quoting  prices. 

Often  the  size  of  the  advertisement  is  determined  arbi- 
trarily. There  may  be  an  advantage  to  be  gained  from  a  regu- 
lar position,  which  may  make  the  available  space  limited.  This 
makes  it  necessary  to  select  for  the  space  only  such  matter  as 
may  be  displayed  effectively. 

Frequently,  the  question  of  economy  determines  the  size  of 
the  space.  In  the  best  mediums  space  is  expensive.  There- 
fore, the  advertiser  may  not  be  able  to  secure  as  much  as  he 
might  wish.  This  may  force  him  to  use  judiciously  the  space 
he  is  able  to  afford.  The  study  of  advertising  by  experts  has 
led  them  to  the  conclusion  that  a  large  advertisement  is  not 
effective  just  because  it  is  large,  nor  is  a  small  advertisement 
ineffective  just  because  it  is  small.  The  effectiveness  depends 
more  upon  the  proportion  of  the  copy  to  the  space,  than  it  does 
upon  the  size  of  the  space.  The  most  unprofitable  use  of  space 
is  usually  seen  in  the  small  advertisement  that  is  overcrowded 
and  poorly  displayed  because  the  advertiser  practised  the  false 
economy  of  trying  to  make  a  small  space  do  the  work  of  a 
larger  one. 

No  matter  what  the  size  of  the  space  may  be  or  how  it  is 
determined,  there  should  always  be  a  proper  adjustment  of  the 
copy  to  the  space.  If  more  space  is  used  than  is  needed,  the 
extra  space  is  money  wasted,  because  the  same  results  could 
have  been  obtained  from  a  smaller  space.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  less  space  is  used  than  is  really  necessary,  the  loss  of  money 
is  even  greater,  because  the  decrease  of  returns,  traceable  to 
this  cause,  greatly  overbalances  any  saving  that  may  have  been 
effected  from  practising  such  economy.  .  The  effective  adver- 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  137 

tisement  secures  its  results  with  the  least  cost  of  money  to  the 
advertiser  and  of  time  to  the  reader. 

Essentials  of  Effective  Appeal.  The  selection  of  a  medium 
and  the  question  of  the  amount  of  space  to  be  used  are  only- 
preliminary  to  the  first  real  problem  in  the  preparation  of 
advertising  copy.  This  is  the  problem  of  organizing  the  avail- 
able material  into  an  advertisement  that  will  make  an  effective 
appeal.  This  question  has  been  given  much  study  by  psychol- 
ogists, salesmen,  and  advertising  experts.  Their  conclusions 
agree,  for  the  most  part,  although  they  have  been  expressed  in 
various  ways. 

The  Batten  Formula.  A  simple  and  admirable  statement  of 
the  functions  of  an  advertisement  was  made  by  the  George 
Batten  Company,  an  advertising  agency  of  New  York.  It  has 
been  referred  to  so  frequently  that  it  has  come  to  be  known  as 
the  "Batten  Formula."  According  to  their  analysis,  a  typical 
advertisement  has  three  distinct  purposes: 

To  be  seen, 
To  be  read, 
To  be  believed. 

Or  they  may  be  stated  thus: 

Attention, 

Consideration, 

Action. 

A  reference  to  the  chapter  on  Sales  Letters,  page  82, 
will  recall  the  fact  that  the  purpose  of  those  letters  is  simi- 
lar to  that  of  an  advertisement.  Indeed,  the  problem  in  the 
two  is  almost  identical,  with  this  large  and  distinguishing  dif- 
ference that  the  sales  letter  is  addressed  to  a  particu- 
lar person,  whether  he  reads  it  or  not,  while  the  advertisement 
is  addressed  to  all  to  whose  attention  it  should  appeal. 

Attracting  Attention.  The  first  essential  of  an  effective  ad- 
\  »-rt  isement  is,  then,  the  power  to  attract  attention.  If  a  number 
of  advertisements  are  brought  together  in  the  same  medium. 


138 


COMMKKCIAL    ENGLISH 


as  in  a  newspaper  or  magazine,  they  have  certain  more  or  less 
uniform  rights  and  privileges,  by  virtue  at  the  facl  thai  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  space  has  been  contracted  for.  In  their  appeal 
to  the  public,  however,  they  differ  greatly.  It  is  to  be  assumed 
that  only  a  small  part  of  the  possible  number  of  readers  of  the 
advertisements  have  sufficient  interest  to  deliberately  look  tliem 
up  or  even  notice  them  in  passing.  Unless  the  advertisement 
is  able  in  itself  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  potential  reader, 
it  fails  to  meet  the  test  at  the  first  point  and  is  not  likely  to 
produce  results. 

One  of  the  most  common  means  of  attracting  attention  is 
the  use  of  display  lines  or  catch  lines.  In  almost  every  effect- 
ive advertisement,  one  or  more  lines  are  given  special  promi- 
nence to  direct  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  the  proposition 
or  to  emphasize  its  essential  points.     This  is  called  display. 

The  display  line,  or  head  line,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is 
frequently  a  striking  statement,  as: 

Storage  Batteries, 

Like  Living  Creatures, 

Need  Food  and  Drink 

which  appeared  at  the  top  of  an  effective  advertisement  of  the 
"Willard  Storage  Battery." 

The  imperative  form  of  statement  is  also  used  effectively 
for  the  same  purpose.  A  very  attractive  advertisement  of  the 
"Holcomb  &  Hoke"  Butter-Kist  pop  corn  machine  in  the 
''Saturday  Evening  Post"  bore  this  head  line: 


Ask\bur  Storekeeper  For 

more  ill  an  "p  op  corn"—  Say 

BUTTER-KIST 


ELEMEXTAKY   ADVERTISING 


139 


Often  the  head  line  is  given  greater  attention  value  by 
combining  it  with  a  striking  illustration  or  with  a  picture  of 
the  product.  Sometimes  all  three  are  used  together,  as  in  the 
following  illustration,  taken  from  an  "Underwood  Deviled 
Ham"  advertisement: 


For  All  "Outdooring" 

This  is  the  Taste! 


One  of  the  newer  ideas  of  arresting  the  attention  is  to  print 
in  large  type  the  first  word  or  the  first  few  words  of  the  adver- 
tisement, instead  of  using  a  formal  head  line.  This  draws  the 
eye  t<>  the  words  in  the  display  type  and  leads  on  to  a  perusal 
of  the  opening  sentiment,  as  is  readily  seen  from  the  following 
illustrations,  taken  from  real  advertisements,  as  indicated: 

A  Good  Night's  Rest 

has  a  value  that  cannot  be  measured  in  dollars 
and  cents.  Proper  rest  is  so  essential  to  your 
health,  working  efficiency  and  ability  to  enjoy 


WAY  SAGLKSS  SPRINGS 


140  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

DR.ACTICALLY  every  summer  dress  is  a  tub  dress  where 
*-  Ivory  Soap  is  used.  No  matter  what  its  material — linen, 
silk,  lace,  delicately  colored  fabrics;  no  matter  what  its  trim- 
ming—  embroidery,  insertion,  ribbons — it  comes  from  the 
wash  as  charming  as  when  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the 
seamstress. 

"ivory  soap" 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  arouse  thought  is  to  ask  questions. 
An  excellent  ''Cream  of  Wheat"  advertisement  followed  this 
head  line: 

"HOW  FAR  WILL  A  DOLLAR  GO?" 

Well  chosen  and  well  placed  trade  marks  catch  the  eye  and 
arouse  the  interest.  The  following  is  a  familiar  and- effective 
illustration : 


Still  another  form  of  effective  head  line  is  a  warning,  which, 
if  heeded,  will  prevent  the  reader  from  making  a  serious  and 
costly  mistake.  The  following  appeared  over  a  striking  maga- 
zine advertisement: 

DON'T  BUY 

8PONG 

BY  WEIGHT 
Underneath  it  were  given  reasons  why  it  is  easy  to  cheat 


ELEM  i:\TAKY     A  DVKKTISIXG  141 

the  customer  who  buys  sponges  by  weight.  The  first  para- 
graph read  thus:  "Whenever  you  buy  sponges  in  quantities 
by  weight  you  are  encouraging  the  adulterators  who  add  50% 
or  more  to  the  weight  by  'doping'  with  glucose,  sand  and 
glycerine.  This  dishonesty  is  so  common  as  to  be  almost  un- 
avoidable." The  effectiveness  of  such  a  head  line  is  due  to 
tin-  natural  desire  to  avoid  making  mistakes,  especially  in  buy- 
ing goods,  whenever  it  is  possible  to  do  so. 

Whatever  type  of  head  line  is  used  to  catch  the  attention 
of  the  reader,  it  should  be  so  short  that  the  eye  can  take  it  in 
at  a  glance.  Experiments  have  shown  that  the  eye  cannot 
cover  more  than  four  or  five  words  of  average  length  at  one 
time.  For  that  reason,  the  following  heading  would  be 
objectionable : 

OUR  GREAT  ANNUAL  SALE  OF  CARPETS  AND  RUGS 
It  may  easily  be  improved  by  arranging  it  as  two  lines: 

OUR  GREAT  ANNUAL  SALE 
OF  CARPETS  AND  RUGS 

Sometimes  it  may  be  advisable  to  use  as  many  as  three 
lines.  If  it  becomes  necessary  to  divide  the  line,  so  as  to  bring 
it  within  the  field  of  vision,  the  words  should  be  so  arranged 
that  each  line  makes  a  complete  group.     Instead  of  printing: 

IDEAL  FURNACES  ARE  THE 
KIM)  rOU  SHOULD  USE 

it   is  mueli  better  to  print  it: 

[DEAL  FURNACES 

ARE  THE  KIND 
YOV  SHOULD  USE 

Slightly  different  from  the  display  or  head  line  is  another 


142  00MMEBC1  LI    ENGLISH 

means  of  attracting  the  attention  and  arousing  the  interest. 
It  is  commonly  called  the  " catch  line."  A  catch  line  is  a 
familiar  expression  about  a  certain  commodity  that  is  used  to 
arouse  interest  and  to  stick  in  the  memory.  It  usually  empha- 
sizes some  important  quality  of  the  thing  advertised  and  be- 
comes as  familiar  as  a  trade  mark,  because  of  frequent  use. 
All  of  the  following  will  be  readily  recognized  by  magazine 
readers : 

"Hasn't  scratched  yet." — Bon  Ami. 

"See  that  hump?" — DeLong  hook  and  eye. 

"It  floats." — Ivory  soap. 

Ask  the  man  who  owns  one." — The  Packard  automobile. 
"The  memory  lingers." — Post  Toastles. 
"The  ham  what  am."— Armour's  "St;ir"  ham. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  ways  of  attracting  the  atten- 
tion that  are  so  familiar  that  they  do  not  require  explanation. 
A  fairly  complete  list,  including  those  already  given,  is  the 
following: 

Display  and  catch  lines. 

Well  chosen  illustrations. 

Striking  horders. 

Distinctive  styles  of  letter  in  the  firm  name. 

Attractive  arrangement. 

Familiar  trade  marks. 

Favorable  Consideration.  While  the  power  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  reader  is  the  first  essential  of  effective  appeal 
in  adverting,  the  interest  aroused  is  of  no  value  unless  it  is 
directed  to  a  favorable  consideration  of  the  article  or  proposi- 
tion. Startling  originality  may  attract  the  attention,  but  if  it 
is  only  a  curious  interest,  it  will  not  materialize  in  sales. 

Truth.  To  hold  the  interest  of  the  reader,  the  advertise- 
ment should  say  as  much   aa  can  truthfully  be  said,  but  no 


KI.KMKN :TA1!Y    A  I  >\  \M  TISIXG  143 

more.     Exaggerated    claims    are    usually    discounted    by    the 

reader  before    he    has   become   sufficiently   interested   to   give 

serious  attention.     This  means  that  the 

advertisement  Tails  to  gain  his  confidence 

and  is  not  likely  to  produce  results. 

For  many  years  the  "Associated  Ad- 
vertising Clubs  of  the  World"  has  con- 
ducted g  vigorous  and  successful  cam- 
paign for  "Truth  in  Advertising."  The 
club  emblem,  at  the  left,  is  now  familiar 
to  merchants  and  advertising  experts 
all  over  the  world.  Among  the  many  good  results  from  the 
movement  none  has  been  more  valuable  than  the  conception 
o!'  the  meaning  of  truth  that  has  come  to  those  who  specialize 
in  the  field  of  advertising.  They  are  now  pretty  generally  of 
the  opinion  that  exaggeration  is  usually  the  product  of  a  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  the  thing  advertised,  while  to  tell  "the 
whole  truth"  it  is  necessary  to  have  expert  knowledge  of  the 
article — the  process  of  its  manufacture,  its  serviceableness, 
quality,   and    value. 

Description.  Adequate  description  is  of  prime  importance, 
then,  in  developing  confidence.  The  use  of  simple,  expressive 
English  assist^  the  reader  in  forming  an  impression  of  the 
article.  Pictures  are  often  of  great  value  for  this  purpose,  for 
they  give  the  argument  at  a  glance. 

A  careful  study  of  the  product  and  1  he  interests  of  the  pros- 
ve   buyer   will    reveal    an    increasing  number  of  ways  by 
which    an    appeal    may    he    made    for   consideration    and    con- 
fidence.    The  following  are  the  most  common  "talking  points" 
and  are  in  general  use  by  advertising  experts: 

Value  Mini  price  Novelty 

Saving  <»f   time  Hr.ilthfulliess 

Seasaaableneei  Beauty 

style  .     Service 


144 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


$35.00  Library  Table 

$24-45 


As  shown,  good  mission  design,  with  top  measuring  28x48  inches, 
and  legs  Zy2  inches  square.  It  is  built  of  quarter  sawed  oak  with 
roomy  drawer  and  plank  top  and  shelf,  and  can  be  had  in  early- 
English  and  fumed  oak;  our  regular  price  $35.00;  special  Reor- 
ganization Sale  price, 


$24-45 


MODEL  ADVERTISEMENT,    ILLUSTRATING  GOOD  DESCRIPTION 

This  is  one  item  from  a  page  advertisement.     Note  that  the  essential 

details  selected  combine  with  the  picture  to  give  a 

definite  idea  of  the  object. 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  145 

Action.  The  third  appeal  of  the  effective  advertisement  is 
for  action.  It  follows  logically  after  the  appeal  for  attention 
and  consideration. 

It  is  not  always  necessary  for  an  advertisement  to  appeal 
for  immediate  action  in  order  to  be  effective.  The  purpose 
for  the  present  may  be  merely  to  arouse  interest  that  is  to 
culminate  in  action  later  on.  This  is  the  special  purpose  of  a 
kind  of  advertisement  that  is  commonly  called  the  "teaser." 
It  is  usually  a  small  advertisement  that  is  inserted  several 
times  before  the  large  and  complete  advertisement  appears  and 
it  arouses  interest  through  curiosity.  As  a  rule,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  find  in  it  any  real  clue  as  to  what  is  to  follow,  which 
causes  the  reader  to  watch  eagerly  for  the  larger  advertise- 
ment. 

Another  type  of  advertisement  aims  to  secure  general  pub- 
licity rather  than  immediate  action  on  a  definite  proposition. 
As  a  rule,  the  name  of  the  product  and  its  most  striking  quali- 
ties are  selected  and  presented  widely  and  frequently.  Such 
publicity,  because  of  this  selection,  may  be  secured  effectively 
in  a  small  space  and  many  of  the  best  small  advertisements 
are  of  this  type.  An  excellent  and  typical  advertisement  of 
this  "general  publicity"  type  is  seen  in  the  following  small 
magazine  advertisement  of  "Le  Page's  Glue": 


IE  DAGE' 

L.  IGLUE    T. 

WILL      MEND      IT 


It  is  only  a  half  inch  single  column  advertisement,  but  the 
contrast  of  the  white  letter  and  the  dark  background  makes  it 
stand  out  strongly  and  gives  it  unusual  attention  value 

Advertisements  of  the  general  publicity  type  frequently 
appeal  to  the  memory  by  constant  repetition.  This  is  one  pur- 
pose of  the  use  of  the  "catch  line."     See  page  142.     The  large, 


i  ir. 


COMMERO]  M.    ENGLISH 


pictorial  magazine  advertisement  aims  at  this  kind  of  appeal. 
The  colored  chef  in  the  ''Cream  of  Wheat"  advertisement,  the 
"gold  dust  twins.'"  and  the  name  "TJneeda"  become  so 
familiar  by  constant  repetition  thai  they  stick  in  the  memory 
and  tend  toward  action  through  the  power  of  suggestion. 

If  immediate  action  is  desired,  there  is  usually  suggested 
an  easy  way  of  responding  to  the  appeal  of  the  advertisement. 
A  return  coupon  is  sometimes  printed  in  the  corner  of  the  ad- 
vertisement. Imperatives  suggesting  immediate  action  are 
very  often  used.  The  following  are  a  few  of  the  more 
common : 

"Write  for  catalog." 

"Send  for  free  sample."' 

"Let  us  put  your  name  on  our  mailing  list." 

"Visit  our  children's  department." 

"Notice  our  window  display." 

"Free  demonstration." 

Model  Advertisement.  The  following  advertisement,  taken 
from  "The  Literary  Digest,"  illustrates  the  three  essentials  of 
effective  appeal — attention,  consideration,  and  action. 


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 


■  1 1 1 1 1 1 


fttojp 

EatingPens! 

Few  pens  really  wear  out ;  most  pens  are  eaten  up 
by  the  action  of  the  ink.  That's  why  a  common  pen 
begins  to  scratch  and  spatter  the  second  da> — that's 
why  you  need  a  new  pen  every  day. 


HUNT'S  A 


ILVERINE 
PENS 

are  made  by  our  newly  discovered  process — really  a  new  metal.  They  defy 
corrosion  from  ink  and  write  smoothly  day  after  day  until  worn  out  in  honest 
service.  Free  samples  sent  for  2c  stamp,  including  our  famous  Ledger  "X-24. 
Pen,  the  most  popular  style. 

C.  HOWARD   HUNT  PEN  CO.  CAMDEN.  N.  J. 

Makers  Hunts  Famous  Round  Pointed  Pens 


MODEL  ADVERTISEMENT.    II.  U 'STRATI  .VG   THREE    ESSENTIALS 


I. MOMENTARY   ADVERTISING  147 

Balance.  The  reader's  instinctive  art  sense  demands  that 
all  matter  within  the  advertisement  be  placed  with  due  regard 
to  the  principles  of  balance.  If  these  principles  are  violated, 
the  appearance  of  the  advertisement  is  not  harmonious  and 
results  in  hostility  or  indifference  toward  it. 

The  optical  center  of  the  space  is  a  little  above  the  actual 
center  from  top  to  bottom,  but  coincides  with  it  from  side  to 
side.  Around  this  point  is  the  logical  location  for  a  special 
feature. 

Balance  is  secured  by  placing  the  component  parts  of  the 
advertisement  to  the  left  and  right  of  an  imaginary  vertical 
line  drawn  through  the  optical  center  and  above  and  below  a 
horizontal  line  drawn  through  the  same  point. 

Bi-symmetrical  balance  is  the  arrangement  of  all  display 
lines,  type  blocks,  illustrations,  etc.,  in  such  a  way  that  if  a 
line  were  drawn  from  top  to  bottom,  bisecting  the  advertise- 
ment, the  parts  on  either  side  would  be  symmetrical,  so  that  if 
the  advertisement  were  folded  on  this  line  the  parts  would  be 
superimposed  on  each  other  and  would  exactly  coincide.  See 
illustration,  page  148. 

The  most  common  melhod  of  securing  bi-symmetrical  bal- 
ance is  by  centering  everything  that  is  less  than  the  full  width 
of  the  space.  This  means  that  the  ends  of  a  line  will  be 
equally  distant  from  the  right  and  left  boundaries  of  the  space. 

"Felt"  balance,  or  general  balance,  is  the  arrangement  of 
all  the  matter  so  as  to  give  a  satisfactory  impression  of  balance 
without  haying  bi-symmetrical  arrangement.  It  is  like  balanc- 
ing  a  pound  of  lead  with  a  pound  of  feathers;  while  bi-sym- 
metrical  balance  is  like  balancing  a  pound  of  lead  with  a  pound 
of  Lead  or  a  pound  of  feathers  with  a  pound  of  feathers.  Felt 
balance  is  more  artistic  than  bi-symmetrical  in  that  it  is  less 
conventional  ami  gives  more  opportunity  for  originality.  One 
of  the  most  common  forms  of  felt  balance  is  balancing  a  cut 
with  a  type  block,  as  is  seen  in  the  illustration  on  page  149.  Be- 
cause the  cut  is  stronger  than  the  type  block,  it  is  able  to 
balance  a  block  of  considerably  larger  size. 


148  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


FOOTBALL 

De  Pauw 

vs. 

Wabash 

Washington  Park 

Next  Saturday,  November  10 

Game  Called  at  2:30 

Tickets  now  selling  at  Clark  &  Cade 
Claypool  Hotel  Drug  Store 


BT-SYMMETRICAL  BALANCE 
Note  that  all   the  lines  are  centered. 


i :  1 .  i :  1 1 1 :  \  tart  advertising 


149 


SPEED 

But  Nice  Speed 

Smart  new  top  coats  for  school 
men.  Just  right  in  "speed," 
attractive,  and  yet  refined.  By 
KUPPENHEIMER  and  other 
good  makers. 

from    $Jq    to    $35 


SEE  THE  NEW  MILITARY  IDEAS 


Schloss  Brothers  Company 

STATE  LIFE  BUILDING 


FELT     BALANCE 

The  type  block  on  the  left  balances  with  the  cut  on  the  right.    The  lines 

below  the  "price"  line  are  centered  and  are, 

therefore,  bi-symmetrical. 


150  OOMW  KRCIAL   ENGLISH 

If  a  number  of  items  are  included  in  the  space,  as  in  a  de- 
partment store  advertisement,  it  is  customary  to  divide  the 
space  into  symmetrical  blocks,  so  that  each,  in  reality,  becomes 
an  advertisement  in  itself.  Such  an  advertisement  may  be 
called  a  "departmentalized"  advertisement.  If  the  space  is 
thus  divided,  the  arrangement  of  the  various  blocks  of  type 
must  be  made  with  due  regard  for  the  principles  of  balance. 

If  cuts  of  different  sizes  are  used  opposite  each  other,  they 
should  be  so  arranged  that  the  increase  of  size  is  toward  the 
right,  as  we  read  from  left  to  right. 

Continuous  Display.  In  addition  to  their  use  to  attract 
attention,  display  lines  are  often  used  throughout  the  adver- 
tisement to  give  emphasis  to  the  essential  points.  Such  dis- 
play is  effective  through  emphasis  by  contrast.  If  the  whole 
advertisement  is  printed  in  large  type,  there  is  no  display, 
because  there  is  no  contrast.  Where  the  display  lines  are 
carried  throughout  the  advertisement  and  related  to  each 
other,  they  give  a  poster  effect  by  making  it  possible  to  get  the 
gist  of  the  advertisement  at  a  distance,  without  reading  the 
smaller  type  detail  matter.  The  school  magazine  advertise- 
ment on  page  151  shows  the  poster  style  of  continuous  display. 

Illustrations  and  Pictures.  While  the  terms  illustration, 
picture,  and  cut  are  used  almost  interchangeably,  an  illustra- 
tion is,  strictly  speaking,  a  picture  that  is  used  to  represent  an 
idea.  To  be  effective,  this  idea  should  be  comprehensible  at  a 
glance,  otherwise  it  will  detract  from  the  advertisement. 

The  test  of  a  good  illustration  is  its  ability  to  catch  the  eye 
and  direct  it  to  the  point  of  the  advertisement. 

Photographs  have  the  advantage  of  greater  realism  in 
their  favor,  while  drawings  are  to  be  preferred  for  emphasis, 
as  they  contain  fewer  details  and  focus  the  attention  on  what 
is  important.  Note  the  use  of  the  drawing  in  the  illustration 
on  page  152. 


II  KMl  A  TARY    ADVERTISING  151 


The  College  Store 

Men's  Gymnasium  Outfits 
Freshmen  Caps 

Men's  Furnishing  Goods 


Suits,  Hats,  Neckwear, 
Underwear,  Hosiery. 


SMITH  &  SMITH 

Opposite  Postoffice 


CONTINUOUS   DISPLAY   OR   POSTER    EFFECT 
Tin-  display  lines  give  the  gist  of  the  thought. 


152 


COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


Men  Are  Certainly  Going  After 
These  SILK  SHIRTS 


Some  men  were  waiting  for  the  doors  to  open — they  kept 
streaming  in  all  day  long.  They  were  here  at  closing  time. 
You'll  find  assortments  still  great.  You'll  find  values  such 
as  you  thought  were  a  thing  of  the  past— like  10c  gasoline. 


$1.95 


for  up  to  $4.00 
SILK  SHIRTS 


$3-95 


for  up  to  $6.75 
SILK  SHIRTS 


Odd  lots,  broken  lots,  some  are  slightly  soiled  or 
mussed — but   values  !     GREAT  ! 


The  Wm.  H.  BLOCK  Company 


ILLUSTRATION   FOR   ATTENTION  VALUE 

Note  that  the  idea  of  "going  after"  is  emphasized  by  the  exaggeration 

in  the  drawing. 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  153 

The  use  of  attractive  pictures  for  their  own  sake  is  to  be 
condemned,  because  they  are  irrelevant  to  the  matter  at  hand 
and  attract  a  kind  of  attention  that  has  no  commercial  value. 
An  increasing  use  is  being  made  of  pictures  of  realistic  scenes 
from  every-day  life,  especially  of  childhood,  which  is  almost 
universal  in  its  appeal. 

Funny  pictures,  as  a  rule,  have  little  interest  value,  as  they 
merely  amuse  and  distract  the  serious  attention  of  the  reader. 
Business  is  serious  and  no  laughing  matter.  Consequently, 
humor  and  business  do  not  mix. 

White  Space — Black  and  White.  The  use  of  white  space 
in  advertising  is  comparatively  new.  The  old-fashioned 
printer  filled  up  all  the  vacant  spaces  with  fleur-de-lis,  acorns, 
scroll  designs,  head-pieces,  or  tail-pieces. 

White  space  emphasizes  the  type  matter  by  contrast  and 
is  often  more  valuable  than  any  additional  matter  that  could 
be  set  in  the  space. 

If  white  space  is  carried  to  an  excess,  it  is  a  useless  expense 
to  the  advertiser  and  gives  the  reader  the  impression  that  the 
advertisement  has  little  to  say. 

White  letters  are  also  used  on  a  dark  background  to  gain 
the  same  effect  of  emphasis  by  contrast.  It  is  a  device  that 
is  especially  effective  in  a  small  advertisement.  Notice  the 
"Le  Page's  Glue"  advertisement  on  page  145. 

Topography.  The  term  "  topography "  is  used  in  advertis- 
ing to  describe  the  entire  " lay-out"  or  "set-up"  of  the  adver- 
tisement. It  is  borrowed  from  geography,  in  which  it  means 
the  general  arrangement  of  the  mountains,  valleys,  lakes,  etc., 
that  make  up  the  surface  of  the  earth.  As  applied  to  adver- 
tising it  requires  the  writer  of  copy  to  see  to  it  that  type,  illus- 
trations, border,  and  ornament  harmonize. 

Style  and  Size  of  Type.  It  is  better  for  all  but  expert  ad- 
vertisement writers  to  leave  the  selection  of  type  to  the  printer 


154  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 


Cheltenham  Regular 


6  point  caps  and  lower  case. 
Advertising  is  the  life  of  trade. 

6  point  caps. 

ADVERTISING  IS  THE  LIFE  OF  TRADE. 

8  point  caps  and  lower  case. 
Advertising  is  the  life  of  trade. 


8  point  caps. 

ADVERTISING  IS  THE  LIFE  OF  TRADE. 


12  point  caps  and  lower  case. 

Advertising  is  the  life  of  trade. 


12  point  caps. 

ADVERTISING  IS  THE  LIFE  OF  TRADE. 

18  point  caps  and  lower  case. 

Advertising  is  the  life  of  trade. 

18  point  caps. 

ADVERTISING  IS  THE  LIFE  OF 


24  point  caps  and  lower  case. 

Advertising  is  the  life  of  trade. 

24  point  caps. 

ADVERTISING  IS  THE  LI 


snow  IXC  Tin:  RELATION  OF  THE  SIZE  OF  TY?E  TO  TIIF. 

CAPA(  I'I'V  of  TIIK  SPACE 

Too  much  copy  nui.v  force  the  printer  to  use  tyi>e  that  is  too  small   to 

have  any  advertising  value. 


ELEMENTARY   ADVERTISING  155 

and  devote  all  the  effort  to  making  the  most  effective  appeal 
possible.  The  present  tendency  is  to  avoid  the  bringing  to- 
gether of  many  different  type  faces  in  the  same  advertisement, 
because  they  make  one  impression  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 
Many  printers  are,  therefore,  setting  whole  advertisements  in 
various  sizes  of  the  same  family  of  type  face.  This  gives  a 
uniform  tone  that  is  pleasing  and  effective. 

The  thing  for  the  beginner  to  remember  constantly  is  that 
the  amount  of  copy  to  be  set  in  a  given  space  determines  the 
choice  of  the  type  in  which  to  set  it.  •  Since  the  printer  is 
expected  to  get  everything  into  the  space,  he  must  select  his 
type  with  this  in  view.  To  show  the  relation  of  the  size  of 
type  to  the  capacity  of  the  space,  there  is  shown  a  Cheltenham 
Regular  series  on  page  154.  A  point  is  one-seventy-second  of 
an  inch.  An  18-point  type  would,  therefore,  be  one-fourth  of 
an  inch  in  height.  ' '  Caps ' '  refers  to  capital  letters,  being  only 
an  abbreviation.  " Lower  case"  means  small  letters  and  is  a 
term  that  originated  in  the  fact  that  the  small  letter  type  is 
kept  in  the  lower  section  of  the  printer's  type  case.  One  of 
the  most  common  causes  of  the  overcrowded  appearance  of  so 
many  of  the  smaller  advertisements  is  the  failure  of  the  writer 
of  the  copy  to  realize  how  much  it  will  make  when  put  into 
type  of  readable  size. 

NOTES  ON    SPECIAL  KINDS  OF  ADVERTISTM; 

Business  Cards.  A  business  card  differs  from  the  ordinary 
display  advertisement  in  several  respects.  It  is  general  in 
character,  in  that  it  does  not  present  any  particular  proposi- 
tion or  argument,  does  not  quote  prices,  and  is  not  seasonable. 
It  is  sometimes  called  a  "standing  advertisement,"  in  that  it 
may  be  inserted  indefinitely  without  change  of  copy.  It 
usually  contains  the  name  of  the  firm,  the  line  of  business,  busi- 
ness address,  office  hours,  telephone  numbers,  etc.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  good  business  card. 


156 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


THE  SEYMOUR  CO. 

High  Grade  and  Speeial 

PAPERS 


245-251  SEVENTH  AVENUE 

NEW  YORK 


It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  display  is  a  very  effective  use  of 
the  poster  style.  The  line  of  business  is  given  the  greatest 
prominence  by  setting  it  in  large,  clear  type.  This  will  catch 
the  eye  of  the  readers  of  the  magazine  who  may  be  interested 
in  "Papers."  Next  in  prominence  is  the  name  of  the  firm, 
and  least  in  prominence  are  the  descriptive  detail  and  the  busi- 
ness address  at  the  bottom. 

Classified  Advertising.  Classified  advertising  is  undis- 
played  and  inserted  under  regular  heads  or  classifications. 
Since  all  the  advertisements  have  about  equal  chance  for  ap- 
peal, there  is  no  problem  of  constructing  the  advertisement  in 
such  a  way  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  reader.  With  the 
question  of  display  eliminated,  all  that  remains  to  do  is  to  write 
the  copy  in  condensed  form,  so  that  words  will  not  be  wasted, 
since  the  charge  is  made  on  the  number  of  words,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  use  enough  words  to  make  the  thought  absolutely 
clear. 


elemkn :tai;v  advertising  157 

The  following  want  advertisement  is  an  especially  good 
model,  as  it  is  condensed  and  clear  at  the  same  time : 

MALE  HELP  WANTED. 

WANTED — A  high-class  man  to  servo 
in  the  capacity  of  director  of  a  large 
service  station  handling  one  hundred 
can  of  a  popular  make  each  day.  Must 
have  a  wide  experience  in  mechanical 
and  electrical  adjustments  on  motor 
cars  and  in  factory  production  work. 
Must  be  a  man  of  excellent  judgment 
and  be  able  to  handle  a  large  number 
of  men  efficiently  and  to  tactfully  take 
care  of  the  public.  Must  be  a  big  man 
physically  as  well  "as  mentally.  A  per- 
manent, well-paying  position  to  the 
right  party.  In  making  application 
state  whether  married  or  single,  full 
experience,  references,  salary  expected, 
weight,  height,  age  and  full  details  in 
first  letter.  If  you  can  not  measure  up 
to  these  specifications  do  not  apply. 
Address  B  No.  946,  Star. 

Street  Car  Cards.  The  street  car  card  is  an  advertisement 
of  the  poster  variety  and  should,  therefore,  be  suggestive 
rather  than  argumentative.  The  regulation  street  car  card  is 
11  by  21  inches.     There  is  room  on  it  for  about  fifty  words. 

Letter  Heads.  While  letter  heads  are  not,  strictly  speak- 
ing, advertisements,  they  do  have  an  advertising  value  in  that 
they  tend,  if  effective,  to  create  a  favorable  attitude  toward 
the  business  firm  using  them.  The  only  essentials  are  the  name 
of  the  firm,  and  the  line  and  place  of  business.  It  is  consid- 
ered bad  taste  to  give  much  information  on  the  letter  head. 
Pictures  of  factories  and  also  of  the  product,  especially  if  in 
colors,  are  condemned  by  those  whose  judgment  is  considered 
good,  because  they  tend  to  distract  the  attention  from  the 
letter,  which  is  the  important  thing.  No  matter  what  style  of 
Ii«;k1  is  used,  it  should  always  give  the  appearance  of  being 
secondary  in  importance  to  the  letter  above  which  it  is  printed. 
The  general  design  and  arrangement  should  be  simple,  and  the 
« I  •••oration,  if  any  is  used,  should  be  restrained  and  dignified. 


158 


UOMMEBCIAL    RNGLI8JI 

6  in.  dbl.  col.. 


Christmas  Suggestions 


Chafing  Dishes 

ALCOHOL  AND  ELECTRIC 

For  that  little  party  a  Chafing  Dish 
is  so  useful,  as  one  can  arrange  the 
lunch  in  the  presence  of  one's  guests, 
thereby  making  the  party  more  enjoy- 
able to  all.   Prices  $5.00  for  a 
single  dish  up  to  $30.00  for  a  com- 
plete set. 


Vonnegut  Hardware  Co, 


420  and  424  East  Washington  Street 


FORM  1. — To  be  used  when  nil  the  copy  may  easily  be  placed  within  the 
diagram.     Note  the  printed   advertisement' en   the  following  ]>:ii_'<\ 


i:i.i:mkn"i'.uiy  auvebtis  so 


15!> 


Christmas   Suggestions 


^ 


Chafing  Dishes 


ALCOHOL  AND  ELECTRIC 


For  that  little  party  a  Chafing  Dish  is  so  useful,  as 
one  can  arrange  the  lunch  in  the  presence  of  one's 
guests,  thereby  making  the  party  enjoyable  to  all. 
Prices,  $5  for  single  dish  up  to  $30  for  complete  set. 


Vonnegut  Hardware  Co, 

420  and  424  EAST  WASHINGTON  ST. 


MODEL    LDVERTI8EMENT   PRINTED   FROM    COP?   <>\    I'KECEDIXG   PAGE 


160 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

6    in.    dbl.    col. 


The  Duntley  Pneumatic  Sweepers 

Latest 

Improved 

Models 

cut 

A 
$  5.75 

B 

nlate 

FORM  2. — To  be  used  when  tbere  is  too  much  copy  for  Form  1. 


ELEMENTARY  ADVERTISING  161 


The  Duntley  Pneumatic  Sweepers 

Latest  Improved  Models 


— In  our  estimation  the  Duntley  is  the  most 
<  fficient  and  economical  sweeper  in  use  today 
at  the  price — 


$5.75 


— The  revolving  brush  of  this  machine  loosens  the  dust,  lint,  etc., 
while  the  continuous  suction  is  of  such  pulling  power  that  every 
particle  of  dirt,  dust,  lint  and  ravelings  is  drawn  into  the  air- 
tight dust  compartment. 

— The  Duntley  is  as  easily  operated  as  an  ordinary  carpet  sweep- 
er and  costs  no  more  than  the  best  of  them.  We  have  sold  thou- 
sands of  these  famous  sweepers  and  they  are  proving  a  source  of 
satisfaction  in  the  homes  where  they  are  used. 

— $5.75  is  the  price — we  will  prepay  the  shipping  charges. 

LS  Ayres  &Co 

MODEL  AOfURgnOnra  PRINTED  FROM  COPY  ON  PRECEDING  PAGE 


163  <  <>\i  mki;<  I  LI    ENGLISH 

SPECIAL  DIRECTIONS   FOB  THE   PREPARATION  01 
ADVERTISING  COPY 

1.  Draw  the  diagram  of  the  advertisement   first.    It  is  better  to 

use  pencil,  unless  you  are  able  to  use  ink  neatly  and  rapidly.  1'nless 
the  advertisement  is  small,  the  diagram  should  be  drawn  the  exact  size 
of  the  space.  If  the  advertisement  is  small,  the  diagram  may  be  drawn 
two  or  three  times  the  intended  space,  hut  it  should  he  drawn  in 
proportion. 

2.  Indicate  above  the  diagram  the  size  <>f  the  space.  Example: 
3  in.  sing.  col. 

3.  If  the  printing  of  the  copy  is  done  by  hand,  it  is  better  to  do  it 
in  caps.,  as  it  is  easier  and  more  rapid  than  to  use  small  letters. 

4.  Use  a  ruler,  so  as  to  get  size  and  dimensions  accurately. 

5.  If  it  is  desirable  to  instruct  the  printer,  cap..  1.  c.  and  cap.  and 
1.  c.  lines  may  be  indicated  in  the  margin. 

6.  If  the  amount  of  copy  to  go  into  the  space  will  permit  it.  nse 
Form  1.  page  158. 

7.  When  there  is  much  descriptive  matter,  use  Form  L\  page  1(><>. 
Only  the  display  lines  are  printed  within  the  diagram.  The  descriptive 
matter  is  indicated  below  or  on  a  separate  sheet,  letters  being  used  to 
indicate  its  proper  position  in  the  diagram. 

8.  While  it  is  important  that  your  work  be  neat  and  accurate,  you 

should  try  to  develop  a  fair  degree  of  speed,  so  as  to  make  it  of  prac- 
tical value. 

EXERCISES  IN  ADVERTISING 

1.  Prepare  a  model  want  ad  in  which  a  position  is  offered  to  a  high 
school  boy  or  girl.     Let  it  contain  about  fifty  words. 

2.  Prepare   the   copy   for   six    business   cards.     Let   each    represent   a 
different    line    of    business — a    doctor,    lawyer,    dentist,    architect. 

plumber,  etc.  The  cards,  when  printed  in  the  newspaper,  are  to  be  one 
inch  single  column.  Make  the  copy  twice  the  intended  size,  so  as  t<>  be 
able  to  print  all  the  matter  inside  the  diagram.  These  cards  may  con- 
tain the  man's  name,  business  address,   telephone   Dumber,   Office  hours. 

business  specialties,  etc  Print  all  the  copy  in  caps,  according  to  Form 
1.    See  page  158.    Be  careful  to  arrange  the  matter  symmetrically.    Do 

not  overcrowd  the  space.      Leave  a  small  margin  all  around. 


ELEMENTARY    ADVERTISING  163 

3.  Prepare  an  ad  the  size  of  the  type  page  of  a  standard  monthly 
magazine  (5%x8)   to  advertise  young  men's  or  misses'  clothing  in 

a  high  school  or  college  paper.  Clip  a  suitable  illustration  from  a 
newspaper  or  magazine  and  mount  it  in  its  proper  place  in  the  diagram. 
Use  a  striking  catch  line  and  write  in  language  that  is  likely  to  appeal 
to  students. 

4.  Prepare  a  full  page  magazine  ad,  advertising  some  food  product. 
Use  bi-syminetrical  balance. 

".     Prepare  copy  for  a  one-inch  double  and  a  two-inch  single  ad.     Use 
either  Form  1  or  2.  as  circumstances  may  require.    These  ads  are 
not  to  contain  cuts. 

«».     Prepare  a  four-inch  double  column  ad  in  which  a  cut  is  featured. 
Use  a   suitable   illustration,   as   in   Exercise  3.     Prepare   the  copy 
according  to  Form  2. 

7.  Prepare  the  diagram  for  a  special  sale,  department  store  ad,  3  col. 
wide  and  1G  inches  long.     Divide  this  large  space  into  from  eight 

t<>  twelve  smaller  spaces  of  different  sizes  in  a  pleasing  and  symmetrical 
defftgn.  Print  in  each  space,  in  a  single  line,  the  commodity  to  be  ad- 
vertised in  that  space.  If  it  is  necessary  to  use  two  sheets  of  paper, 
draw  the  lines  so  that  the  two  sheets  may  be  joined  together  without 
breaking  their  continuity. 

8,  Prepare  an  ad  similar  to  the  one  required  in  Exercise  4.  except 
with  "felt"  balance. 

It.     Prepare  an  ad  in  which  an  attractive  trade  mark  is  featured.     Clip 
BUCh  a  trade  mark  from  a  magazine  and  use  it  in  your  ad.  but  let 
the  ad  be  entirely  original. 

10.    clip  an  Ineffective  ad  not  larger  than  a' half  page  from  a  magazine 
and  rearrange  it  bo  as  to  make  it  effective.    Dae  a  larger  or  smaller 
ii'  it  seems  advisable, 

n.    Prepare  copy  for  an  effective  street  car  card.     (See  notes  on  page 
167.)     Draw  the  diagram  one-half  the  actual  size  of  the  card. 

12.    arrange  and  punctuate  the  following  copy  to  make  .-i   magazine 

ad,    Without    illustration.      Determine   the   size   of   the   spaec   hy   the 

demands  <«f  the  copy.  Dae  Form  2.  Write  above  the  ad,  as  usual,  the 
-i/<-  Intended. 


164  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

"Staunton  military  academy  an  ideal  home  for  good  boys  380 
boys  from  4f>  states  last  session  largest  private  academy  in  the 
united  states  hoys  from  10  to  20  years  old  prepared  for  the  uni- 
versities government  academies  or  business  1600  feet  above  sea- 
level  pure  dry  bracing  mountain  air  of  the  famous  shenandoah 
valley  pure  mineral  spring  waters  military  training  develops  obe- 
dience health  and  manly  carriage  fine  shady  lawns  gymnasium 
swimming  pool  and  athletic  park  daily  drills  boys  from  homes  of 
refinement  only  desired  personal  individual  instruction  by  our 
tutorial  system  academy  fifty-three  years  old  new  $150,000  barracks 
full  equipment  absolutely  fire-proof  charges  $360  handsome  cata- 
logue free  address  captain  wm  g  kable  ph  d  principal  staunton 
Virginia." 

13.  Prepare  a  full  magazine  page  automobile  ad  that  will  embody  as 
many  of  the  features  of  advertising  you  have  learned  as  may  seem 

advisable.     Use  a  picture  of  an  automobile,  clipped  from  a  magazine,  as 
an  illustration. 

14.  Make  a  collection  of  model  ads  from  newspapers  and  magazines. 
If  note-books  are  used,  these  ads  should  be  pasted  in  them  and 

properly  labeled.     The  following  are  the  kinds  of  ads  that  are  to  com- 
pose the  collection: 

1.  Harmonious  and  effective  business  card,  with  proper  balance. 

2.  A  good  want  ad  of  over  thirty-five  words. 

3.  An  effective  small  ad — 3  in.  sing,  or  under. 

4.  Bi-symmetrical  balance. 

5.  "Felt"  balance. 

6.  Effective  "catch  line." 

7.  Effective  use  of  trade  mark  or  picture  of  product. 

8.  Illustrative  matter  relevant  and  well  arranged. 
0.  Illustrative  matter  related  in  thought  to  border. 

10.  Effective  ad  in  several  sizes  of  the  same  style  of  type. 

11.  Effective  division  of  large  space  into  smaller  spaces. 

12.  Ornament  relevant  in  thought  or  suggestion. 

13.  Effective  use  of  white  space  or  of  black  and  white. 


REFERENCE  CHAPTERS 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WORD  STUDY 

SUGGESTIONS  ON  THE  USE  AND  SPELLING 

OP  ABBREVIATIONS 

Use  in  Business  Letters.  The  best  usage  forbids  the  ab- 
breviation of  common  words  in  the  business  letter.  By  com- 
mon words  is  meant  words  that  have  no  special  or  technical 
significance.  "Yours"  and  "received"  should  not,  therefore, 
be  written  "yrs."  and  "reed."  There  are  several  good  rea- 
sons, among  which  the  following  should  be  noted : 

1..  In  the  business  letter  there  is  no  practical  reason  for 
economy  in  the  use  of  space. 

2.  The  saving  of  time  to  the  one  who  writes  the  letter  is 
not  worth  considering. 

3.  There  is  no  saving  of  time  to  the  one  who  receives  the 
letter,  as  it  takes  as  long  to  recognize  the  abbreviated 
word  as  it  does  to  recognize  the  word  when  spelled  out 
in  full. 

4.  The  abbreviation  of  "common"  words  has  a  tendency 
to  make  the  letter  seem  blunt  and,  consequently,  dis- 
courteous. 

Words  that  have  a  special  significance  in  business  may  be 
abbreviated  freely  in  the  business  letter,  without  any  of  these 
objections.  To  this  class  belong  such  words  as  c.  o.  d.,  f.  o.  b., 
a.  in.,  inst.,  etc. 

The  abbreviation  of  words  indicating  quantity  or  number, 
l'jiL  doJL,  etc.,  is  also  permissible  and  it  becomes  a  practical 
ssity  in  tin-  tabulation  of  orders  or  in  the  quotation  of 
prices. 


168  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

The  names  of  cities  and  the  days  of  the  week  should  not  be 
abbreviated  except  when  used  in  lists,  in  which  case,  the  lack 
of  space  requires  it. 

Use  in  Business  Papers.  Entirely  different  is  the  use  of  ab- 
breviations in  business  papers.  In  invoices,  statements,  etc., 
they  are  used  extensively  because  of  the  practical  necessity 
imposed  by  the  limited  space  of  ruled  blanks. 

Furthermore,  many  business  houses  use  original,  unauthor- 
ized abbreviations  of  their  own.  These  are  justifiable  because 
they  meet  the  demands  of  a  practical  necessity  and  because 
they  are  readily  understood  by  those  who  are  intended  to  see 
them. 

Spelling.  All  authorized  abbreviations  are  spelled  with  a 
period.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  period  is  a  part  of  the 
spelling  and  is  not  punctuation.  For  this  reason,  the  abbrevia- 
tion of  "company,"  "street,"  and  "Wisconsin"  in  the  super- 
scription on  an  envelope  requires  the  use  of  periods,  even  if 
the  punctuation  is  omitted. 

A  few  words,  from  Latin,  like  "per"  and  "via,"  are  com- 
monly thought  of  as  abbreviations  and  they  are  usually  listed 
with  abbreviations,  but  they  are  not  abbreviated  and  are  com- 
plete words  in  their  original  spelling.  They  should  not,  there- 
fore, be  spelled  with  a  period.  Similarly,  in  "pro  tern.," 
"tern."  requires  a  period,  while  "pro"  does  not. 

Capitalization.  Present  usage  is  so  unsettled  and  incon- 
sistent that  it  is  impossible  to  give  rules  for  the  capitalization 
of  abbreviations.  In  general,  abbreviations  directly  from 
Latin  do  not  take  capitals.  Examples:  e.  g.,  i.  e.,  etc.,  et  al., 
etc.  English  words  denoting  official  positions  are  usually 
spelled  with  a  capital.  Examples:  Mgr.,  Agt.,  Pres.,  etc. 
There  are  numerous  exceptions,  however.  More  nearly  uni- 
form is  the  practice  of  spelling  the  abbreviations  of  words  in- 
dicating number  and  quantity  without  a  capital.  Examples: 
doz.,  gro.,  bx.,  brl.,  etc.  In  addition  to  these  words  there  are  a 
large  number  of  miscellaneous  English  words  that  are  spelled 


WORD   STUDY  169 

both  with  and  without  a  capital.  The  choice  is  largely  a  mat- 
ter of  personal  preference,  although  there  is  an  increasing 
tendency  to  do  away  with  the  use  of  capital  letters  as  much  as 
possible.  In  the  list  of  abbreviations  on  pages  170  to  173,  no 
attempt  is  made  to  indicate  a  preference  between  a  capital  and 
a  small  letter,  so  that  it  should  be  noted  that  usage  favors  the 
latter. 

The  Plural  of  Abbreviations.  Theoretically,  the  plural  of 
abbreviations  is  formed  by  adding  "  s  "  to  the  singular,  as  is  the 
case  with  most  nouns.  There  are  numerous  exceptions  to  this 
rule,  however,  because  many  of  the  plurals,  if  so  formed,  would 
not  suggest  the  plural  of  the  word  so  well  as  the  singular  sug- 
gests the  singular.  The  whole  matter  of  forming  plurals  is  so 
difficult  that  the  singular  form  is  frequently  used  for  both 
numbers.  This  is  especially  true  of  words  that  indicate  num- 
ber or  quantity.  There  are  often  practical  reasons  for  using 
the  one  abbreviation  for  both  singular  and  plural  that  seem 
sufficient  to  amount  to  a  justification.  For  instance,  in  making 
a  tabular  list  of  items,  if  number  and  quantity  are  indicated, 
the  use  of  ditto  marks  cannot  be  effective  unless  only  one  form 
of  abbreviation  is  used  for  both  singular  and  plural.  Such  a 
practice  seems  justifiable,  therefore,  for  practical  reasons, 
since  abbreviations  are  used,  in  business  papers,  primarily  as 
a  matter  of  convenience. 

THE  SPELLING  OF  ABBREVIATIONS 

I  1 1  B  STATES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Alabama    Ala.  Idaho  Idaho 

Arizona    Ariz.  Illinois   111. 

Arkansas    Ark.  Indiana   Ind. 

California    Cal.  Iowa   Iowa 

Colorado   Colo.  Kansas    Kans. 

Connecticut    Conn.  Kentucky    Ky. 

Delaware    Del.  Louisiana    La. 

Florida    Fla.  Maine  Maine 

Georgia   Ga.  Maryland   Md. 


170 


COM  MERCIAL    ENGLISH 


Massachusetts     Mass. 

Michigan   Mich. 

Minnesota    Minn. 

Mississippi    Miss. 

Missouri   Mo. 

Montana    Mont 

Nebraska    Nebr. 

Nevada     Nev. 

New  Hampshire  N.  H. 

New    Jersey    N.  J. 

New  Mexico N.  Mex. 

New   York N.   Y. 

North  Carolina N.  C. 

North  Dakota N.  Dak. 

Ohio    Ohio 


<  Oklahoma    Okla. 

Oregon   Oregon 

Pennsylvania    Pa. 

Rhode  Island H.    I. 

South  Carolina B.   G, 

South  Dakota S.   Dajfc 

Tennessee  Tenn. 

Texas    Tex. 

Utah   Utah 

Vermont    Yt. 

Virginia   Ya. 

Washington    Wash. 

West  Virginia W.   Va. 

Wisconsin    Wis. 

Wyoming    WyO, 


NOTE. — Idaho  and  Utah  are  not  abbreviated.     Post  office  authori- 
ties do  not  favor  the  abbreviation  of  Iowa.  Maine.  Ohio,  and  Oregon. 

months  OF  Tin:  vk.m; 


January    Jan. 

February    Feb. 

Match    Mar. 

April    Apr. 

August    Aug. 

NOTE. — May.  June,  and  July  should  not  be  abbreviated 


September    Sept. 

October    Oct. 

November   Nov. 

December    Dec. 


( ;  I :  X  KRAL   BUSI NESS   ABBREVI ATI  ( I N  8 

Acct.  or  acct account 

Adv.,  adv.,  or  ad advertisement 

Agt agent 

A.  M.  or  a.  m ante  meridiem — before  noon 

Amt.  or  amt amount 

Anon anonymous 

app appendix 

Assn association 

Asst assistant 

Atty attorney 

Av.  or  Ave avenue 

Bal.  or  bal balance 


WORD   STUDY  171 

brl.  or  bbl barrel,  barrels 

bdl bundle 

B/L  orb/1  bill  of  lading 

Bldg building 

Bro.,  Bros brother,  brothers 

bu bushel,  bushels 

B.  Pay bills  payable 

B.  Rec bills  receivable 

bx box,  boxes 

Cap capital   letter 

Capt   captain 

cf.    confer    ( compare) 

chg charge 

c.  i.  f cost,  insurance  and  freight 

Co company,  county 

c.  o.  d.  or  C.  O.  D collect  on  delivery 

Coll.  or  col collect 

Cr credit,  creditor 

cwt hundredweight 

Dept department 

e.  g exempli  gratia,  for  example 

Esq esquire 

et  al et  alii,  and  others 

etc et  cetera — and  so  forth 

f.  o.  1».  or  1".  < ).  B free  on  board 

Fol folio 

ft foot,  feet 

gal gallon,  gallons 

gro gross 

hhd hogshead 

i.  e id  est — that  is 

in inch,  inches 

Inc incorporated 

1  ns insurance 

inst instant — this  month 

Int interest 

Inv invoice 

•F  r junior 

1<- keg,  kegs 

11» pound 

1.  e tower  caafc — small  letter 

M    <>r  in inoridles — noon 


172  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Mdse merchandise 

Messrs sirs  or  gentlemen 

Mfg manufacturing 

Mf r manufacturer 

Mgr manager 

misc miscellaneous 

Mr Mister 

Mrs Mistress 

Ms.  or  ms manuscript 

Mss.  or  mss manuscripts 

N.  B take  notice 

No.  or  no number 

O.  K all  correct 

Oz.  or  oz ounce,  ounces 

p page 

Payt payment 

Pd paid 

per by 

pk peck,  pecks 

pkg package,  packages 

P.  M.  or  p.  m post  meridiem — afternoon 

P.  O post  office 

pp pages 

pr pair,  pairs 

Pres president 

pro  tern temporarily 

prox proximo — next  month 

p.  S postscript 

qt    quart,   quarts 

Reed received 

Rev reverend 

R.  R railroad 

Ry railway 

Sec.  or  Secy secretary 

Shipt shipment 

sq.  ft square  foot,  square  feet 

Sr senior 

St street,  saint 

Str steamer 

Supt superintendent 

Treas treasurer 

ult ultimo,  last  month 


WORD   STUDY  173 

via by  way  of 

viz namely,  to-wit 

vol. volume,  volumes 

V.  Pros vice  president 

vs against 

W/B way  bill 

Yd.  or  yd yard,  yards 

Y i\.  yr year,  years 

ACADEMIC  AM)  HONORARY  DEGREES 

A.  B.  or  B.  A Bachelor  of  Arts 

A.  -M.  or  M.  A Master  of  Arts 

B.  C Bachelor  of  Commerce 

B.  C.  S Bachelor  of  Commercial  Science 

B.  C.  L Bachelor  of  Civil  Law 

B.  D , Bachelor  of  Divinity 

B.  L.  or  Litt.  B Bachelor  of  Letters 

B.  S.  or  B.  Be Bachelor  of  Science 

C.  E Civil  Engineer 

D.  D Doctor  of  Divinity 

D.  D.  S Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery 

D.  Litt.  or  Litt.  D Doctor  of  Letters 

D.  V.  M Doctor  of  Veterinary  Medicine 

D.  S.  or  D.  Sc Doctor  of  Science 

E.  E Electrical  Engineer 

II     B Bachelor  of  Laws 

I .  I ..  D Doctor  of  Laws 

LL.  M.  or  M.  L Master  of  Laws 

M    B Bachelor  of  Medicine 

If.  C.  H Master  of  Civil  Engineering 

M.  D Doctor  of  Medicine 

Mns.  B Bachelor  of  Music 

Hut.  I) Doctor  of  Music 

I'll.  B Bachelor  of  Philosophy 

Pl>.  1 1 Doctor  of  Philosophy 

I'll-  Q Graduate  In  Pharmacy 

V.  s Veterinary  Surgeon 


174  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

WORDS  FREQUENTLY  MISUSED  BECAUSE  OF  A 
CONFUSION  OF  THEIR  MEANING 
Ability — capacity 

"Ability"  implies  power  to  do  or  perform;  " capacity," 
power  to  receive  or  hold  ideas.  Example:  The  boy  studied 
trigonometry  to  the  best  of  his  "ability,"  but  he  showed  little 
"capacity"  for  higher  mathematics. 

Act — action 

"Act"  refers,  primarily,  to  a  result — a  thing  that  has 
been  done;  "action,"  to  a  continuous  process  or  a  thing  that 
is  being  done.  Example:  While  no  specific  "acts"  could  be 
found  to  prove  him  dishonest,  some  of  his  "actions"  looked 
very  suspicious. 

Ad  j  acent — ad  j  oining 

"Adjacent"  means  near  or  close  to,  but  not  in  actual  con- 
tact with.  "Adjoining"  means  actually  touching  or  bordering 
upon.  Example:  The  lots  in  the  new  addition  are  "adjacent" 
to  the  city  line.  The  field  "adjoining"  the  river  produced  a 
heavy  yield  of  alfalfa. 

Affect — effect 

To  "affect"  is  to  act  upon  or  influence;  to  "effect"  is  to 
cause  or  bring  about.  Example:  The  railroads  "effected" 
an  increase  in  freight  rates  that  will  "affect"  all  the  cattle 
feeders  in  this  state. 

Alien — foreigner 

An  "alien"  is  a  person  of  foreign  birth  who  is  not  a  citi- 
zen, although  a  resident.  A  "foreigner"  is  a  person  of  for- 
eign birth  who  is  neither  a  citizen  nor  a  resident.  The  term 
"foreigner"  is  usually  applied  to  a  person  who  is  temporarily 
outside  his  own  country,  or  to  one  of  another  country  who  has 
not  yet  become  naturalized  in  the  new  country.  Example: 
The  "foreigners"  who  come  to  America  show  no  desire  to  be- 


WORD    STUDY  17 0 

come  "aliens,"  for  the  broad  freedom  of  our  citizenship  is  a 
beacon  light  that  attracts  them  to  our  shores. 

Alternative — choice 

"Alternative''  implies  two;  "choice,"  more  than  two.  Ex- 
ample: There  was  only  one  "alternative" — borrow  capital  or 
face  bankruptcy.  We  had  our  "choice"  of  a  hundred  recent 
copyrights  at  seventy-five  cents  per  volume.  "Choice"  may 
also  refer  to  two,  but  "alternative"  never  to  more  than  two. 
"Alternative"  has  in  it,  also,  the  idea  of  a  forced  or  more  or 
less  serious  choice  between  two  things,  two  ideas,  or  two 
courses  of  action. 

Amateur — novice 

The  term  "amateur"  is  properly  applied  to  one  who  does 
anything  because  of  an  interest  in  it  or  love  for  it,  and  not  be- 
cause of  financial  gain.  In  this  he  is  distinguished  from  a 
professional.  The  word  does  not  refer,  primarily,  to  a  lack 
of  skill  or  experience.  A  "novice"  is  one  who  is  just  begin- 
ning and  who  may  later  become  either  an  "amateur"  or  a  pro- 
fessional. The  idea  emphasized  by  the  word  is  that  he  is  a 
beginner.  Example:  The  best  pitcher  on  our  college  team  was 
barred  from  "amateur"  athletics  because  he  played  summer 
ball  for  money.  I  am  only  a  "novice"  at  making  snap  shots, 
at  I  have  had  my  camera  less  than  a  month. 

Among — between 

"Among"  is  used  with  more  than  two;  "between,"  with 
two  only.  Example:  "Among"  the  wealthy  men  of  this  city. 
ther«-  are  five  or  six  millionaire  mine  owners.  II<'  divides  his 
time  about  equally  "between"  life  insurance  and  golf. 

Appreciate — enjoy 

"Appreciate"'  is  often  used  loosely  for  "enjoy."     It  means 
-timate  ;it   the   full  worth  and  implies  either  a  critical  in- 
stinct or  i  lenae  o(  value.     Example:    We  "enjoy"  the  com- 


176  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

pany  of  our  friends  at  any  time.     We  "appreciate"  their  sym- 
pathy in  times  of  bereavement. 

Apt — likely — liable 

"Apt"  denotes  habitual  tendency;  "likely,"  probability; 
and  "liable,"  unpleasant  probability.  Example:  Most  chil- 
dren are  "apt"  to  skip  the  descriptions  in  a  novel.  Those  who 
advertise  judiciously  are  "likely"  to  get  returns.  The  foot 
ball  game  is  "liable"  to  be  postponed  because  of  wet  grounds. 

Assert — claim — declare — state 

"Assert"  means  to  say  positively,  with  authority.  "Claim" 
means  to  assert  as  a  right  or  a  fact  that  ought  to  be  conceded. 
"Declare"  means  to  make  known  explicitly,  especially  in  a 
formal  or  public  manner.  "State"  means  to  express  full  par- 
ticulars, especially  in  a  formal  way.  Example :  He  "  asserted ' ' 
his  innocence  of  all  charges  preferred  against  him.  He 
"claimed"  a  right  to  one-half  of  his  father's  estate.  The 
drunkard  "declared"  his  intention  to  lead  henceforth  a  sober 
life.  The  state's  witness  "stated"  several  facts  that  may 
prove  damaging  evidence  against  the  defendant. 

Authentic — genuine 

"Authentic"  means  containing  only  the  truth.  "Genuine" 
means  of  unquestioned  origin  or  authorship.  Example:  The 
letter  gave  what  was  proved  to  be  an  "authentic"  account  of 
the  crime,  but  there  was  some  doubt  as  to  whether  or  not  the 
signature  was  "genuine." 

Avocation — vocation 

"Avocation"  refers  to  an  occupation  outside  the  regular 
calling.  "Vocation"  refers  to  the  regular  calling.  Example: 
My  friend,  Mr.  Jones,  finds  amateur  photography  a  very  agree- 
able "avocation."  Five  members  of  this  year's  graduating 
class  have  chosen  dentistry  as  a  "vocation." 


WORD   STUDY  177 

Aware — conscious 

" Aware"  refers,  primarily,  to  knowledge  received  from 
without;  "conscious,"  to  knowledge  received  from  within. 
Example:  The  boy  was  "aware"  of  the  fact  that  he  had  told 
an  untruth,  but  he  did  not  seem  "conscious"  of  any  guilt. 

Awkward — clumsy 

"Awkward"  is  used  to  refer  to  movements;  "clumsy,"  to 
general  appearance.  Example:  The  new  boy  was  so  "awk- 
ward" that  he  stumbled  over  an  eraser  and  went  sprawling  on 
the  floor.  The  new  style  glasses  may  be  very  easy  on  the  eyes, 
but  they  are  so  large  as  to  seem  "clumsy." 

Balance — remainder 

"Balance"  means  that  which  makes  equal  and  is  used, 
largely,  as  a  bookkeeping  term.  "Remainder"  means  the  rest 
or  that  which  is  left  over.  Example :  It  will  take  fifteen  dol- 
lars to  "balance"  the  account.  You  will  never  have  much  of  a 
bank  account  if  you  wait  to  deposit  the  "remainder"  of  your 
month's  earnings. 

Beside — besides 

"Beside"  means  by  the  side  of;  "besides"  means  in  addi- 
tion to.  Example:  The  sailor  lived  in  a  cottage  "beside"  the 
sea.  The  merchant  has  several  pieces  of  property  "besides" 
his  business. 

Blunder — error — mistake 

A  "blunder"  is  a  serious  "error"  or  "mistake."  An 
"error"  is  a  departure  from  the  right.  A  "mistake"  is  doing 
wrong  for  right.  Example :  It  will  take  the  carpenters  a  day 
longer  to  finish  the  job  because  the  boss  made  a  "blunder." 
The  auditor  found  a  slight  "error"  in  the  bookkeeper's 
figures.  By  "mistake,"  I  addressed  her  as  Miss  instead  of 
M  rs, 


178  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

Bound — determined 

To  be  "bound"  is  to  be  held  under  obligations,  especially 

of  a  moral  or  legal  character.  To  be  " determined ' '  is  to  li.iv.- 
one's  mind  made  up.  It  is  incorrect  to  say,  "I  am  'bound'  1<> 
go,"  when  the  speaker  means  simply  that  he  has  made  up  his 
mind  to  go.  Example:  I  am  "bound"  by  my  promise  to  buy 
a  copy  of  the  book.  I  am  "determined"  to  be  more  careful 
about  making  promises  hereafter. 

Buy — patronize 

"Patronize"  is  often  loosely  used  for  "buy."  To  "buy" 
means  simply  to  purchase,  while  to  "patronize"  means  to  act 
as  a  patron  toward,  to  support,  or  aid.  Example:  We 
"bought"  many  things  at  the  bazaar  that  we  did  not  really 
need  in  order  to  "patronize"  the  good  cause. 

Can — may 

"Can"  denotes  ability  to  do;  "may,"  possibility  or  per- 
mission. I  "may"  go  to  Chicago  next  week,  if  I  "can"  make 
my  plans  work  out  right. 

Character — reputation 

"Character"  is  what  one  really  is,  and  "reputation"  only 
what  he  is  thought  to  be.  Example:  His  enemies  have  suc- 
ceeded in  besmirching  his  "reputation,"  but  his  sterling 
"character"  will  soon  be  seen  in  a  true  light. 

Comprehend — understand 

The  distinction  between  these  two  words  is  rather  slight, 
but  it  is  observed  by  those  who  are  careful  and  discriminating 
in  their  use  of  English.  "Comprehend"  means  to  grasp  the 
meaning  of  and  .usually  implies  deeper  thought  than  "under- 
stand," which  means  simply  to  know  that  which  is  rather 
easily  received  by  the  mental  faculties.  Example:  I  "under- 
stand" what  you  propose  to  do.  but  I  do  not  "comprehend" 
your  motives. 


WORD   STUDY  179 

Couple — pair 

"Couple"  is  usually  used  to  refer  to  two  persons  or  things 
that  are  thought  of  as  being  together,  but  not  necessarily 
alike ;  as,  a  "couple"  at  a  dance.  "Pair"  refers  to  two  things 
that  belong  or  are  used  together  or  to  one  thing  with  two  com- 
plementary parts;  as,  a  "pair"  of  gloves  or  a  "pair"  of 
scissors. 

Credible — creditable 

"Credible"  means  worthy  of  belief;  "creditable,"  entitled 
to  respect.  Example:  It  hardly  seems  "credible"  that  he 
could  make  such  a  "creditable"  showing  in  the  civil  service 
examination  with  so  little  time  for  preparation. 

Custom — habit 

•  Custom"  refers  merely  to  the  outward  fact  of  repetition: 
"habit."  to  the  inward  tendency  to  repeat,  which  becomes  a 
part  of  the  personality  or  character  of  an  individual.  Exam- 
Mi.-:  It  is  his  "custom"  to  spend  at  least  one  evening  of  the 
week  in  the  library.  He  has  contracted  a  nervous  "habit"  of 
twitching  his  eye-lids  when  trying  to  recall  something  that  he 
has  forgotten. 

Customer — patron 

See  "buy"  and  "patronize." 

Directly — immediately 

"Directly"  means  in  a  straight  or  direct  manner;  "im- 
mediately*' means  at  once.  Example:  We  will  ship  the  goods 
"directly"  to  you.  means  either  by  the  most  "direct"  route 
or  that  no  other  person  or  firm  comes  between  the  consignor 
and  the  consignee.  We  will  ship  the  goods  "immediately"  to 
\(»u  means  that  they  will  be  shipped  without  delay. 

Discover — invent 

"Discover"  means  to  find  that  which  already  exists;  "in- 
vent "  means  to  create.    Example:  Coal  has  been  "discovered" 


180  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

on  the  Johnson  farm.  A  process  has  been  "invented"  whereby 
rubber  is  being  made  from  milkweed. 

Enough — plenty 

"Plenty"  means  "enough"  and  to  spare — abundance.  Ex- 
ample: We  have  raised  "enough"  potatoes  for  our  own  use. 
We  have  raised  "plenty"  of  potatoes,  so  that  we  will  have 
some  to  sell. 

Expect — suspect 

"Expect"  means  to  await;  "suspect,"  co  suspicion.  Ex- 
ample: We  "expect"  our  friends  on  the  noon  train.  I  "sus- 
pect" that  he  is  living  beyond  his  means. 

Emigrate — immigrate 

"Emigrate"  means  to  go  from  a  country;  "immigrate,"  to 
go  into  a  country.  Example:  Some  of  our  foreign-born  citi- 
zens are  "emigrating"  to  South  America.  The  Hungarians 
are  "immigrating"  to  the  United  States  in  large  numbers. 

Excuse — pardon 

There  is  only  a  very  slight  distinction  in  the  use  of  these 
words  now,  possibly  because  the  expressions  "excuse  me"  and 
"pardon  me"  are  used  interchangeably.  "Excuse"  means  to 
overlook  a  less  serious  offense  than  "pardon"  would  imply. 
Example:  "Excuse"  my  errors  and  "pardon"  my  sins. 

Expect — suppose 

To  "expect"  is  to  await  or  look  forward  to;  to  "suppose" 
is  to  have  an  opinion.  Example:  I  "suppose"  the  workmen 
"expect"  to  be  paid  on  Saturday  night. 

Fewer — less 

The  former  applies  to  number ;  the  latter,  to  quantity.  Ex- 
ample: We  have  raised  "fewer"  chickens  this  year,  as  we  have 
had  "less"  time  to  give  to  them. 


WORD   STUDY  181 

Farther — further 

"Farther"  applies  to  actual  distance  in  space;  "further," 
to  quantity,  degree  or  relative  progress.  Example:  We  did 
not  not  carry  our  lunch  boxes  "farther,"  as  we  had  no  "fur- 
ther" use  for  them. 

Fix — mend — repair 

The  distinction  between  these  words  is  very  slight  and  not 
commonly  observed.  "Fix"  means  to  set  or  place  in  order, 
to  adjust,  or  prepare.  The  carpenter  "fixed"  the  loose  hinge 
(it  being  necessary  only  to  tighten  it).  "Mend"  means  to  re- 
store to  soundness  that  which  is  broken  or  torn,  but  not  by 
the  addition  of  new  material,  which  idea  is  properly  reserved 
for  "repair"  and  constitutes  the  chief  difference  in  meaning 
between  the  two  words.  Example:  Mother  "mended"  the 
snag  in  my  sleeve.  The  county  will  "repair"  the  road  be- 
tween the  school-house  and  the  creek. 

Hardly — scarcely 

"Hardly"  relates  to  effort;  "scarcely,"  to  quantity.  Ex- 
ample: Baby  is  so  sleepy  he  can  "hardly"  keep  his  eyes  open. 
There  were  "scarcely"  enough  peas  on  the  vines  for  a  good 
mess. 

Happen — transpire 

"Happen"  means  to  occur  by  chance  or  without  previous 
design.  "Transpire"  means  to  emerge  from  secrecy,  to  be 
found  out  by  accident,  to  leak  out.  Example:  I  "happened" 
to  find  a  half  dollar  on  the  mantle  shelf,  although  I  thought 
there  was  not  a  cent  in  the  house.  It  "transpired"  during  the 
bookkeeper's  vacation  that  he  had  been  embezzling  the  funds 
of  the  company. 

Healthful— healthy 

"Healthful"  means  that  which  is  conducive  to  health; 
"healthy,"  that  which  has  health,  is  sound,  well.  The  word 
"wholesome"  is  a  synonym  of  "healthful"  and  is  preferred 


182  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

when  speaking  of  food.  Example:  The  bracing,  mountain  air 
makes  this  a  "healthful"  place  to  spend  a  summer  vacation. 
We  must  be  more  careful  of  our  habits  of  eating  and  sleeping, 
if  we  would  have  ' '  healthy ' '  bodies. 

Hanged — hung 

Good  usage  prefers  "hanged"  to  "hung"  in  referring  to 
putting  to  death  on  the  gallows.  Example:  The  prisoner  was 
"hanged"  at  daybreak. 

In — into 

"In"  expresses  place  where;  "into,"  entrance.  Example: 
We  picked  a  bouquet  "in"  the  garden  before  going  "into" 
the  house. 

Learn — teach 

"Learn"  means  to  acquire  knowledge;  "teach,"  to  impart 
knowledge.  Example:  The  pupils  are  "learning"  so  rapidly 
that  we  will  have  time  to  "teach"  them  several  things  in  addi- 
tion to  the  prescribed  work. 

Like — love 

"Like"  means  to  enjoy  or  be  fond  of;  "love,"  to  have 
strong  attachment  or  affection  for.  The  former  is  usually  ap- 
plied to  things  and  the  latter  to  persons.  Example:  I  "like" 
to  spend  a  rainy  day  rummaging  through  an  old  trunk  in  the 
attic.     I  "love"  the  old,  familiar  scenes  of  my  boyhood  days. 

Last — latest 

"Last"  means  final,  after  all  others;  "latest,"  that  which 
is  nearest  the  present  time,  but  not  necessarily  final.  Example : 
We  have  enjoyed  his  "latest"  novel  and  hope  it  may  not  be 
his  "last." 

Majority — most 

Use  "majority"  to  apply  to  persons  only.  "Most"  may 
apply  to  things  as  well  as  persons.  Example:  The  "majority" 
of  the  class  favor  the  second  proposition.  "Most"  of  the 
stores  close  at  five-thirty  in  the  summer  time. 


WORD   STUDY  183 

Neglect — negligence 

"Neglect"  is  the  particular  act;  "negligence,"  the  habit. 
Example:  I  "neglected"  to  wind  my  watch  last  night  and 
found  it  stopped  this  morning.  The  shipping  clerk  was  dis- 
charged because  of  continual  "negligence"  of  duty. 

0— oh 

"O"  is  the  sign  of  the  vocative  case.  "Oh"  is  the  interjec- 
tion. "O"  is  also  used  now  as  an  interjection,  especially  in 
poetry.  Example :  "  0, "  John,  you  forgot  the  letter !  "  Oh ! " 
it  is  five  minutes  aften  ten. 

Partially — partly 

"Partially"  means  in  a  partial  manner;  "partly"  means 
in  part.  Example:  The  banker  divided  his  estate  very  "par- 
tially" between  his  two  sons  and  almost  ignored  his  daughter. 
The  weather  forecast  is,  "  'partly'  cloudy." 

Party — person 

"Party"  does  not  designate  a  "person,"  except  in  legal 
phraseology.  Example:  Here  comes  the  "person"  I  am 
waiting  to  see.     He  is  the  other  "party"  in  the  case. 

Pay — settle 

"Pay"  means  to  discharge  a  debt,  while  "settle"  means  to 
adjust  the  account  by  coming  to  terms  that  are  satisfactory  to 
all  parties  concerned  or,  at  least,  acceptable.  Example:  He 
"paid"  the  balance  due  on  the  account  in  full  to  date.  The 
bankrupt  merchant  "settled"  with  his  creditors  at  sixty  cents 
on  the  dollar. 

Quite — very 

"Quite"  means  completely,  entirely,  while  "very"  means 
only  to  a  high  degree.  Example:  He  was  then  "quite"  well 
and  able  to  leave  the  hospital.  This  has  been  a  "very"  beau- 
tiful day. 


184  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

Recollect — remember 

"Recollect"  means  to  bring  again  to  mind  the  details  of  a 
whole.  "Remember"  is  to  bring  to  mind  a  whole  that  is  not 
made  up  of  details.  Example :  I  "recollect"  the  events  of  my 
first  day  at  school.  I  "remember"  the  date  of  the  "Missouri 
Compromise. ' ' 

Raise — rear 

"Raise"  is  used  in  speaking  of  animals,  vegetables,  grain, 
etc.  ' '  Rear ' '  is  used  in  speaking  of  children.  Example :  Some 
farmers  are  more  careful  about  how  they  "raise"  their  hogs 
than  they  are  about  how  they  "rear"  their  children. 

See — witness 

"See"  means  merely  to  recognize  or  be  aware  of  through 
the  sense  of  sight.  "Witness"  means  to  observe  in  such  a  way 
as  to  be  able  to  give  testimony.  Example :  I  "  saw ' '  my  first 
robin  this  morning.  I  "witnessed"  the  conductor's  insulting 
conduct. 

Say — state 

There  is  about  the  same  difference  between  these  two  words 
as  there  is  between  see  and  witness.  "Say"  means  to  utter, 
while  ' '  state ' '  means  to  utter  in  a  formal  way.  Example :  He 
"said"  he  was  feeling  much  better.  He  "stated"  his  case  be- 
fore the  jury. 

Stay — stop 

"Stay"  means  to  remain.  "Stop"  means  to  cease  moving. 
Example:  He  is  "staying"  (not  stopping)  at  the  Metropoli- 
tan Hotel.     The  car  will  "stop"  on  the  near  side  of  the  street. 

SIMPLE  SPELLING  RULES 
Rule  I — Monosyllables,  and  polysyllables  accented  on  the 
last  syllable,  ending  in  a  single  consonant  preceded  by  a  single 
vowel,  double  the  final  consonant  before  a  suffix  beginning  with 
a  vowel.     Example:  plan,  planning;  transfer,  transferring. 


WORD    STUDY 


185 


Rule  II — Polysyllables  not  accented  on  the  last  syllable, 
ending  in  a  single  consonant  preceded  by  a  single  vowel,  do  not 
double  the  final  consonant  before  a  suffix  beginning  with  a 
vowel.     Example :    develop,  developing ;  answer,  answering. 

Rule  III — A  final  silent  e  is  dropped  before  a  suffix  begin- 
ning with  a  vowel.  Example:  plane,  planing;  produce,  pro- 
ducing. 

A  SELECTED  WORD  LIST  FOR  SPELLING  DRILL 


official 

mortgage 

aloud 

amateur 

routine 

remain 

allowed 

business 

parallel 

stopped 

allege 

debtor 

■en  i<  cable 

recollect 

effect 

camera 

secretary 

debris 

anxiety 

autumn 

notary 

answer 

banquet 

apparel 

utilize 

convertible 

beginning 

chemical 

reference 

perceive 

excellent 

analysis 

volume 

advance 

circuit 

apparatus 

column 

aught 

fatigue 

anticipate 

surprise 

persuasion 

accommodate 

compressible 

unconscious 

assets 

authorize 

definite 

yield 

leisure 

laboratory 

feasible 

practical 

counterfeit 

nephew 

commercial 

practicable 

beneficial 

height 

preference 

unanimous 

announcement 

gallon 

preparation 

voluntary 

perpetual 

ninety 

niece 

magazine 

design 

gymnasium 

knowledge 

sensible 

candidate 

movable 

jurisdiction 

ought 

adventure 

proceeds 

conscience 

noticeable 

clientele 

procedure 

hyphen 

mischief 

commission 

majority 

generally 

narrative 

assign 

legitimate 

inspection 

till 

discernible 

physique 

influence 

until 

correspondence 

campaign 

salary 

phonogrs.pl) 

e.  inference 

possession 

additional 

suing 

bargain 

l»;i -sage 

wield 

trivial 

cylinder 

pneumonia 

mischievous 

neutral 

annually 

advantageous 

mileage 

privilege 

circular 

familiar 

(milage) 

186 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


transient 

association 

similar 

conscious 

physical 

fulfill 

customer 

efficient 

preferable 

envelope 

attempt 

recommend 

representative 

attachment 

coming 

brokerage 

skil(l)ful 

beneath 

accountant 

forfeiture 

transmission 

infallible 

illustrate 

foreigner 

truly 

endeavor 

exercise 

exhibition 

suffice 

credible 

collectible 

bankruptcy 

standardization 

remainder 

meter 

blamable 

summary 

pursuit 

exhibitor 

creditor 

transferable 

competition 

affidavit 

ability 

telephone 

government 

benefited 

expansion 

totally 

syllable 

program 

character 

ridge 

possible 

resolution 

appraiser 

telegram 

usually 

divide 

grammar 

terminal 

symmetrical 

comprehend 

emigrate 

succeed 

synopsis 

practice 

courteous 

license 

regulate 

achievement 

possess 

oblige 

partial 

discern 

suffrage 

manufacture 

substitute 

mechanical 

criticise 

substantial 

process 

committee 

accurate 

tenant 

remittance 

barrel 

whether 

reducible 

receive 

different 

mucilage 

speculator 

proficient 

eighth 

dispatch 

miscellaneous 

angle 

cablegram 

disappoint 

planing 

anxious 

bulletin 

eccentric 

planning 

repeal 

attendant 

debut 

symptom 

weather 

chauffeur 

awkward 

Wednesday 

campaign 

assignee 

bought 

plumber 

altogether 

apportionment 

duplication 

systematically 

compulsory 

applause 

convince 

repetition 

bankrupt 

creditable 

liquid 

peculiar 

account 

balance 

custom 

warrant 

auction 

February 

chandelier 

seize 

corporation 

solicit 

necessity 

municipal 

blunder 

against 

maintain 

principal 

necessary 

responsible 

antedate 

principle 

auditorium 

experience 

edge 

immigrate 

coupon 

language 

altitude 

scenery 

all  right 

inquisitive 

hospitable 

WORD   STUDY 

linoleum 

designer 

assumption 

education 

preparatory 

difference 

guardian 

flexible 

schedule 

courtesy 

indispensable 

assessment 

stationary 

develop 

indivisible 

lieutenant 

stationery 

affect 

independent 

judicial 

plaid 

apprehension 

gratis 

expel 

partial 

abatement 

considerable 

mediaeval 

telegraph 

circumference 

technical 

(medieval) 

portable 

arguing 

misspelled 

horizontal 

opponent 

creditor 

negotiable 

interval 

superintend 

aisle 

journal 

precede 

model 

franchise 

thermometer 

forcible 

phrase 

embarrass 

sacrifice 

adjacent 

optimism 

authentic 

compromise 

rehearsal 

village 

disfranchise 

bonus 

feign 

salable 

acceptance 

advertise 

argue 

vacancy 

grease 

foreign 

twelfth 

success 

inaugurate 

extension 

overhaul 

petition 

auctioneer 

invoice 

losing 

neutralize 

eliminate 

curtain 

construction 

preferred 

encyclopedia 

deficit 

corruptible 

unique 

commendable 

exaggerate 

speech 

scheme 

changeable 

engineering 

forfeit 

knack 

constitution 

illegible 

clerical 

occurrence 

thorough 

nuisance 

explicit 

rectify 

assignment 

immediately 

deducible 

rinse 

discussion 

coliseum 

advise 

penalty 

competition 

tariff 

initial 

patronage 

maintenance 

facsimile 

messenger 

profession 

drawee 

referring 

annulment 

preparation 

discipline 

finally 

apparently 

receiver 

cordially 

auditor 

excel 

moderate 

authority 

collector 

collateral 

synonym 

acknowledge 

visible 

chief 

veto 

beautiful 

disputable 

forty 

profitable 

defensible 

discover 

address 

divisible 

catalog   (logue) 

lens 

accumulate 

proprietor 

spoonfuls 

digestible 

acquittal 

combustible 

bureau 

administrator 

accrue 

avoirdupois 

comprehensible 

sieve 

gauge 

187 


188 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


permissible 

facilitate 

hoping 

fallible 

ceremony 

commission 

recorder 

average 

avocation 

essential 

freight 

grateful 

restaurant 

bouquet 

calendar 

surname 

actuary 

prove 

anniversary 

beginner 

supersede 

superintendent 

existence 

plausible 

attorney 

occasional 

receipt 

anonymous 

separate 

attention 

souvenir 

respectfully 

destructible 

occurred 

dictionary 

in  ininmm 

adjustment 

piece 

accede 

agreeable 

apparent 

receivable 

already 

permissible 

conscientious 

accuracy 

defendant 

judgment 

dimension 

acknowledgment 

division 

determined 

amanuensis 

caught 

appropriation 

ledger 

currency 

apiece 

celling 

alphabet 

endorse 

elementary 

antecedent 

Christmas 

impression 

label 

appointment 

exclusion 

amendment 

guarantee 

misdemeanor 

abbreviate 

subscribe 

forgery 

circumference 

analyze 

payable 

propriety 

ad  valorem 

invincible 

gradually 

specification 

again 

vicinity 

exceed 

level 

captain 

indictment 

exhaust 

equitable 

describe 

facility 

except 

legible 

luncheon 

illustrate 

error 

dialogue 

elevator 

audible 

relieve 

aunt 

admissible 

running 

judicial 

proceed 

weigh 

believe 

B8JB 

development 

accessible 

abandonment 

eligible 

menu 

inquiry 

accept 

defense   (ce) 

esquire 

liquidate 

injurious 

WORD 

DIVISION 

Purpose.  To  preserve  a  margin  of  even  fair  regularity  on 
the  right  hand  side  of  a  business  letter,  or  any  other  composi- 
tion, it  often  becomes  necessary  to  divide  a  word  and  put  a 
part  of  it  on  the  following  line.  Such  divisions  cannot  be 
made  at  random,  for  the  division  of  the  word,  unless  properly 
made,  will  make  it  puzzling  to  the  reader.  The  writer's  aim, 
in  word  division,  is  to  make  it  easy  for  the  reader  to  recognize 


WORD    STUDY  189 

the  word  while  passing  from  the  end  of  one  line  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  next. 

Syllabication.  A  word  has  as  many  syllables  as  it  has  pro- 
nounceable vowel  sounds.  The  word  ''bulletin,"  for  instance, 
has  three  syllables,  because  it  has  three  pronounceable  vowel 
sounds.  The  word  "bureau"  has  only  two  syllables,  because 
the  four  vowels  represent  only  two  vowel  sounds.  The  word 
"niece"  has  only  one  vowel  sound  and,  hence,  should  not  be 
divided. 

Grouping.  In  dividing  words  of  two  or  more  syllables,  the 
problem  is  to  determine  to  which  vowel,  a  consonant,  or  group 
of  consonants,  belongs.  The  general  principle  is  to  divide  and 
group  the  consonants  with  the  vowels  in  such  a  way  as  to 
enable  the  reader  to  recognize  the  word  in  its  correct  pro- 
nunciation, while  passing  from  the  end  of  one  line  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  next,  without  having  to  go  back  and  reconstruct  it. 
For  example,  "part"  would  naturally  pass  over  to  "ly"  to 
indicate  "partly,"  but  "part"  would  not  pass  over  to  "ially" 
to  indicate  "partially"  because,  in  that  word,  the  "t"  goes 
with  the  "ially,"  since  "t"  depends  upon  the  following  vowels 
for  its  "sh"  sound.  A  thorough  knowledge  of  this  one  prin- 
ciple alone  would  enable  the  student  to  divide  many  words  cor- 
rectly, bu1  he  will  find  the  following  rules,  governing  prac- 
tically every  possible  case,  of  great  value,  if  he  masters  them, 
so  that  he  can  use  them  without  conscious  effort: 

RULE  I 

A  cniisoiiMiit  should  Dot  be  separated  from  a  vowel  on  which  it  de- 
pends \;,y  its  pronunciation.  Specifically,  c  or  g  should  not  he  separated 
from  I  following  c  i.  or  y.  mi  which  they  depend  for  their  soft  sound; 
«•.  t.  and  s  should  not  be  separated  from  a  following  imi.  ions,  ions,  ial,  or 
lent,  on  winch  the?  depend  for  an  sh  or  sh  sound.  Example:  wa-ges, 
pre-dona,  aa-tton,  man-atona,  patient. 

RULE  ii 

Divide  an  BngHrii  derivative  between  the  stem  and  the  termination, 
■t  when  it  would  violate  Rule  I.     If  the  final  consonant  is  doubled 


190  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

because  of  the  termination,  the  added  consonant  goes  with  the  termina- 
tion. Example:  quick-ly,  honest-ly,  wind-y,  but  oun-ces,  placing,  plan- 
ning, blur-red. 

RULE  III 
A  short  accented  vowel,  preceding  a  single  consonant  or  an  insep- 
arable group  of  consonants  requires  the  consonant  or  inseparable  group 
to  complete  the  syllable.    Example:  prod-uct,  wag-on,  trink-et,  pocket. 

RULE  IV 
A  long  vowel  or  a  short  unaccented  vowel  in  such  a  position,  closes 
the  syllable  and  gives  the  consonant  or  consonant  group  to  the  following 
syllable.    Example:    long   vowel — mu-ral,    pro-duce;    short   vowel,    un- 
accented— di-vide,  mi-rage. 

RULE  V 

Consonants  not  forming  an  inseparable  group  between  vowels  are 
divided.    Example:  ves-sel,  men-tal,  daugh-ter,  neigh-bor. 

RULE  VI 

Double  vowels  between  consonants,  or  vowels  not  forming  a  dip- 
thong,  are  divided.    Example:  co-operate,  zo-ology,  re-instate. 

RULE  VII 

Compound  words  are  divided  into  their  component  parts.  Example: 
news-paper,  motor-driven,  stock-keeper,  other-wise. 

NOTE. — Rule  I  always  takes  precedence  over  all  other  rules. 


CONDENSED  SUMMARY  OF  RULES 

I.  Consonants  affected  by  following  vowel. 

II.  English  derivatives. 

III.  Short  accented  vowels. 

IV.  Short  unaccented  vowels;  long  vowels. 
V.  Consonants  between  vowels. 

VI.  Double  vowels  between  consonants. 

VII.  Compound  words. 


WORD   STUDY  191 

EXERCISES 

1.  Report  all  the  cases  of  word  division  in  the  first  fifty  pages  of 
this  book  that  come  under  Rules  I,  II,  and  III. 

2.  Report  all  cases  that  come  under  IV,  V,  VI,  and  VII. 

3.  Write  five  original  examples  for  each  of  the  seven  rules. 

4.  Divide  each  of  the  following  two-syllable  words  according  to  the 
rules  and  indicate,   in  each  case,   which  rule  applies.     Example: 

ap-ple — V.  Traction,  heater,  repaid,  retail,  value,  purchase,  therefore, 
active,  profits,  contest,  charges,  parcel,  records,  prepay,  basket,  system, 
checking,  statement,  amount,  series,  station,  schedule,  payment,  prices, 
success. 

5.  Divide  the  following  words  of  more  than  two  syllables  into  all  pos- 
sible divisions,  indicating  with  each  syllable,  the  number  of  the 

rule  that  applies.  Example:  immediately:  im-V — me-IV — di-VI — ate-II 
— ly.  Manufacture,  commercially,  emergency,  technically,  conversa- 
tion, practicability,  concentrating,  requisition,  correspondence,  reorgan- 
ization. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  USE  OF  CAPITAL  LETTERS  AND 
PUNCTUATION  MARKS 

CAPITAL  LETTERS 

A  capita]  letter  is  used : 

1.  At  the  beginning  of  every  new  sentenee.  Example:  We  went 
to  the  fair  in  the  morning.  In  the  evening  we  were  invited  out  to 
dinner. 

2.  In  spelling  proper  nouns,  including:  (a)  names  of  persons. 
places,  rivers,  oceans,  and  ships;  (b)  names  of  the  days  of  the  week 
and  months  of  the  year,  hut  not  of  the  seasons,  except  when  personi- 
fied; (c>  nouns  denoting  kinship,  used  with  or  without  the  person's  real 
name,  except  when  preceded  by  a  possessive  pronoun  or  the  definite  or 
Indefinite  articles;  (d)  names  of  events  of  historical  importance. 
Examples:  (a)  George  Roberts,  Chicago,  Colorado  Etiver,  Atlantic  Ocean, 
The  Olympic:  (b)  Tuesday.  Friday,  April,  September — but  spring,  sum- 
mer, etc.;  (c)  Aunt  Julia.  Uncle — hut  my  uncle,  a  father,  the  grand- 
mother:  (d)   French  Revolution.  Battle  of  Waterloo,  Civil  War.  etc. 

3.  To  begin  a  proper  adjective.  Example:  Boasting  is  said  to 
l.e  an  American  weakness.  [NOTE. — In  spelling  the  names  of  the 
studies  in  a  school  or  college  course.  spell  only  the  names  of  languages, 
really  proper  adjectives,  with  capital  letters.  Example:  John  elected 
KngHflh,  French,  history,  and  civics  for  next  semester.  In  the  case  of 
a  tabulated  list,  an  exception  is  made  and  all  subjects  should  be  capital- 
ized.] 

4.  To  begin  the  words  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  when  they 
refer  to  sections  of  the  country,  but  not  when  they  refer  to  direction. 
Example:  He  always  goes  west  for  the  winter.  He  owns  a  large 
cattle-ranch  in  the  West 

5.  To  begin  mime-  referring  to  the  Deity  or  pronouns  referring  to 
them.     Example:    God,  Jehovah,  .h-sus  Christ    Put  your  trust  in  Him, 

192 


CAPITAL    LETTERS    AND   PUNCTUATION  193 

6.  To  begin  the  first  word  of  a  direct  quotation.  Example:  The 
old  proverb  says,  "Birds  of  a  feather,  floek  together." 

7.  To  begin  a  noun  that  is  personified.  Example:  The  angry 
Tempest  gathered  the  waves  in  his  arms  and  hurled  them  upon  the  rock- 
bound  coast. 

TERMINAL  PUXCTUATIOX 

THE  PERIOD 
A  period  is  used: 

1.  At  the  end  of  a  declarative  or  imperative  sentence.  Example : 
It  will  rain  tomorrow.  Please  hand  in  your  home  work  at  the  close  of 
the  hour. 

2.  After  an  abbreviation.  Example :  Boston,  Mass. ;  20  bbl. 
Flour;  Rev.  A.  B.  Porter,  etc. 

3.  After  figures  and  letters  used  to  number  chapters,  paragraphs, 
problems,  etc.  Example:  Chapter  XXIV.;  B.  Our  second  proposi- 
tion is — (this  being  the  first  sentence  of  a  new  paragraph)  ;  7.  If  A  can 
do  a  piece  of  work  in  10  days  and  B — (this  being  the  first  line  of  a 
problem  in  arithmetic).  [NOTE. — A  period  was  formerly  used  after  the 
title  of  a  book,  but  there  is  a  growing  tendency  in  present-day  usage 
to  omit  it.] 

Tin:  QUESTION  mark 
A  question  mark  is  used: 

1.  At  the  end  of  a  direct  question.  Example.  Who  was  the 
author  of  "The  Bagged*  Man'.'"  [NOTE.— It  will  be  seen  from  this 
illustration  that  if  the  last  word  in  the  question  requires  a  quotation 
mark  after  it.  the  question  mark  is  put  inside  the  quotation  mark,  al- 
though logically  it  belongs  after  it.  This  is  done  arbitrarily  for  a  better 
typographicaJ  effect  The  same  usage  holds  true  of  the  other  terminal 
punctuation  marks — the  period  and  the  exclamation  point.] 

2.  At  the  end  of  .-i  sentence  that  Is  declarative  In  form,  but  inter- 
rogative In  Intention,  Example:  Ion  made  every  effort  to  get  to  school 
on  time? 

!o  Indicate  dOUM  OX  express  irony.      It  will  be  seen  that  in  these 

.  the  question  mark  Is  need  as  an  Interna]  rather  than  as  a  ter- 
minal punctuation  mark.  Example:  <>n  the  l.'th  of  December  (?)  I 
*.;iu-  your  s,,n  in  n».\\-  York.  The  Senior  class  president  looked  very 
dignified  (?)  In  his  ihirl  sleeves,  stirring  lemonade. 


194  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

THE  EXCLAMATION   POINT 
An  exclamation  i>oint  is  used: 

1.  At  the  end  of  an  exclamatory  sentence.  Example :  What  a  fint 
place  to  eat  a  picnic  lunch! 

2.  After  exclamatory  words  and  phrases.  Example:  Stop!  look! 
listen!   Was  that  lightning  and  thunder? 

3.  To  express  irony,  sarcasm,  or  contempt.  Example:  Well,  I 
like  that!  It's  a  fine  chance  I  have!  And  you  didn't  even  offer  her  a 
seat! 

INTERNAL  PUNCTUATION  MARKS 

THE  COMMA 

A  comma  id  used: 

1.  To  separate  from  each  other,  words,  phrases,  or  clauses  used  in 
a  series  in  which  there  is  the  omission  of  one  or  more  connectives.  Ex- 
ample :  The  children  brought  potatoes,  apples,  onions,  and  canned  fruit 
for  the  Thanksgiving  donation  to  the  poor.  In  his  letters,  in  his  books, 
in  all  his  business  papers,  he  uses  uniformly  excellent  penmanship.  I 
know  that  he  tries,  that  he  works  hard,  that  he  does  his  very  best. 
[NOTE. — There  is  a  difference  of  opinion,  with  argument  on  both  sides, 
as  to  whether  a  comma  should  be  used  before  "and"  when  it  is  used 
between  the  last  two  members  of  a  series.  The  best  usage  seems  to 
favor  the  use  of  the  comma  before  "and"  on  the  ground  that  the  comma 
between  the  other  members  of  the  series  is  used  to  indicate  separation 
rather  than  the  omission  of  "and"  and  that  the  idea  of  separation  is 
still  present  even  when  "and"  is  not  omitted.  Furthermore,  there  are 
cases  in  which  the  omission  of  the  comma  before  "and"  at  the  close  of 
the  series  might  leave  the  thought  in  doubt.  Example :  Question — 
What  did  you  have  for  lunch  today?  Ans. — I  had  soup,  corn,  pork.  and 
beans;  or,  I  had  soup,  corn,  pork  and  beans.  The  first  statement  means 
that  pork  and  beans  were  separate  dishes;  the  second  might  mean  that 
they  were  one  dish.  Whether  the  student  uses  the  comma  before  "and" 
or  omits  it.  he  should  be  careful  to  keep  his  punctuation  consistent  by 

Cging  only  one  system.  | 

2.  To  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  words,  phrases,  and 
clauses  used  parenthetically.  Example:  Strikes  are,  indeed,  not  al- 
ways conducted  in  the  interests  of  the  strikers,     lie  comes,  on  Friday, 


CAPITAL   LETTERS   AND   PUNCTUATION  195 

at  ten  o'clock.    His  money,  if  he  ever  had  any  money,  will  not  buy 
back  his  good  name. 

3.  To  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  words,  phrases,  and 
clauses  used  appositively.  Example:  Geiger,  the  furrier,  has  gone  to 
Toronto  on  a  business  trip.  Lee,  the  great  Confederate  general,  was  a 
true  patriot  The  statement,  that  man  was  created  of  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  is  good  science  as  well  as  good  poetry. 

4.  After  introductory  phrases  and  clauses,  except  when  they  are 
short  and  closely  related  to  the  words  that  follow.  Example:  Having 
left  my  umbrella  at  home,  I  was  forced  to  pay  the  penalty  by  walking 
three  squares  in  a  pouring  rain.  When  my  partner  returns  from  the 
East,  I  will  send  you  a  check  for  the  full  amount.  But — On  Sunday  I 
always  go  to  visit  my  parents. 

5.  To  separate  the  members  of  a  compound  sentence  when  they 
are  comparatively  short  and  simple.  Example:  I  have  eyes,  I  see,  I 
know.    He  plays  well,  but  he  is  a  little  too  slow. 

6.  To  set  off  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  a  non-restrictive 
relative  clause.  Example:  Restrictive — Bread  that  is  half-baked  is 
not  fit  for  food.  Non-restrictive — Bread,  which  is  the  "staff  of  life,"  is 
to  be  found  on  every  American  table. 

7.  To  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  words  or  phrases 
used  in  direct  address.  Example:  William  Charles,  how  old  are  you? 
As  many  as  favor  the  motion,  please  rise. 

8.  To  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  phrases  and  clauses 
which  are  remote  from  the  words  they  modify.  Example :  The  fresh- 
man was  up  on  the  third  floor,  looking  for  the  elevator.  There  is  not  a 
boy  in  this  class,  who  could  not  improve  his  penmanship. 

9.  To  indicate  the  omission  of  a  verb.  Example :  Charles  goes 
to  school  35 ;  Henry,  to  school  55. 

10.  To  introduce  a  quotation  consisting  of  a  single  sentence.  Ex- 
ample:  He  is  always  saying,  "I  told  you  so." 

THE  SEMICOLON 

A  semicolon  is  used: 

1.  To  separate  the  parts  of  a  compound  sentence,  if  they  are  long 
or  not  closely  related  in  thought  Example:  It  is  not  necessary  to 
go  to  college  merely  to  learn;  experience  is  a  great  teacher  that  needs 
not  to  recognize  a  superior. 


196  COMMERCIAL    ENGLISH 

_'  To  separate  the  parts  of  a  compound  sentence  when  the  con- 
nective is  omitted,  except  when  the  parts  are  comparatively  short  and 
simple.  In  that  case,  a  comma  is  used.  (See  Rule  5  for  the  use  of 
the  comma.)  Example:  I  do  not  expect  to  go;  I  cannot  get  my 
father's  permission. 

ft.  To  separate  a  series  of  long  phrases  01  clauses.  Example:  In 
college,  he  was  prominent  in  a  number  of  track  and  field  meets;  in  de- 
bating and  oratorical  contests:  and  in  social  settlement  work,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Example:  An  education  ought  to  teach  us 
that  every  man  should  try  to  find  his  place  in  the  world;  that  he 
should  try  to  put  more  into  life  than  he  hopes  to  take  out;  and  that 
Usefulness  is  one  of  the  truest  tests  of  success. 

4.  To  introduce  the  words  as,  viz..  that  is.  namely,  i.  e..  when  they 
precede  an  example.  If  the  matter  following  these  words  is  parentheti- 
cal, commas  are  used.  [NOTE. — When  a  semicolon  is  used  before  these 
words,  a  comma  is  used  after  them.  Be  careful  not  to  get  this  re- 
versed.] Example:  Americans  are  said  to  have  three  faults;  namely, 
talking  through  their  noses:  boasting  of  their  country:  and  laughing  at 
their  own  jokes.  Parenthetical — Comma  used — Some  of  your  letters, 
that   is.  your  a's.  0*8,  n's  and  u's.  are  scarcely  legible. 

THE  COLON 
A  colon  is  used: 

1.  To  introduce  a  series  of  words,  phrases,  or  clauses.  Example: 
The  following  boys  have  been  chosen  as  the  tournament  basket  ball 
team:  A.  Smith,  Colby,  Nicholson.  Fry,  Bates.  There  are  at  least 
three  places  where  you  might  find  him:  in  the  office,  in  the  library,  or 
in  the  gvinnasium.  The  constitution  of  our  society  says:  that  all  mem- 
bers shall  be  elected  by  a  two-thirds  vote:  that  they  shall  take  an  oath 
of  allegiance;  and  that  they  shall  do  everything  possible  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  society. 

2.  Between  the  members  <>f  a  compound  sentence  when  they  are 

Only  Slightly  related  and  cannot  require  a  semicolon.  Example:  Funny 
pictures  usually  detract  from  an  advertisement:  humor  and  business  do 
not  mix. 


CAPITAL    LETTERS   AXD   PUNCTUATION  197 

3.  To  introduce  along  formal  quotation.  Example:  The  most 
frequently  quoted  lines  of  Tennyson's  "Lady  Clara  Vere  de  Vere"  are: 

"Howe'er  it  be,  it  seems  to  me, 
'Tis  only  noble  to  be  good. 
Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 

And  simple  faith  than  Norman  blood." 

NOTE. — Some  authorities  recommend  the  use  of  the  colon  and 
dash  to  introduce  matter  that  follows  on  the  next  line.  If  this  is  done, 
the  comma  is  used  to  introduce  a  quotation  of  a  single  sentence,  a  colon 
to  introduce  a  quotation  of  more  than  one  sentence,  beginning  on  the 
same  line,  and  a  colon  and  dash  to  introduce  a  quotation  of  more  than 
one  sentence,  beginning  on  the  following  line. 

QUOTATION   MARKS 

1.  Quotation  marks  are  used  to  enclose  the  words  of  another,  when 
they  are  given  exactly.     Example:  Sherman  said,  "War  is  hell." 

2.  A  quotation  within  a  quotation  is  enclosed  in  single  quotation 
marks.     Example:  George  said,  "I  told  my  mother,  'Frank  is  to  blame.'" 

3.  If  a  quotation  consists  of  more  than  one  paragraph,  double 
quotation  marks  are  placed  at  the  beginning  of  each  paragraph  and 
after  the  last  paragraph.     Example: 

"First    paragraph 

"Second  paragraph 

"Third  paragraph " 

4.  Quotation    marks   are   used    to  enclose   words   that   are   not  in 

g i  DM  t<>  indicate  that  the  author  is  conscious  of  this  fact.   Example: 

\\v  certainly  had  a  "large"  time  in  New  York. 

.".     Tlie  title  <»f  a  1 k.  magazine,  or  newspaper  may  be  enclosed  in 

quotation  marks.  Example:  I  went  last  evening  to  see  a  dramatiza- 
tion of  The  Trail  of  the  Lonesome  Pine."  "Current  Literature"  and 
"Public  opinion"  were  consolidated  into  "Current  Opinion."  "The  Cin- 
•  inn.iti  Euquin m"  nsea  :i  single  word  in  the  first  line  of  its  "heads." 

Tin:  DASH 

1.  The  fetfa  is  used  to  set  off  parenthetical  expressions  that  are 
too  loosely  connected  with  the  sentence  to  require  a  comma,  but  too 
closely  connected  to  require  parentheses,    Example:    The  only  criticism 


198  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

I  have  to  offer — if  you  would  call  it  a  criticism — is  that  the  penmanship 
is  a  little  small. 

2.  The  dash  is  used  to  mark  a  sudden  change  in  thought.  Exam- 
ple :    I  have  told  you  time — but  it  is  useless  for  me  to  try  any  longer. 

3.  The  dash  is  used  to  mark  the  omission  of  letters  or  figures,  Ex- 
ample :    Mr.  K worked  for  me  during  the  winter  of  1891-1892. 

PARENTHESES 

Parentheses  are  used  to  enclose  parenthetical  matter  that  is  very 
loosely  connected  with  the  rest  of  the  sentence.  Example :  My  friend, 
Adams  (I  believe  you  met  him  while  in  Chicago)  is  now  traveling  for 
a  St.  Louis  firm. 


BRACKETS 

Brackets  are  used  to  enclose  explanatory  matter  not  by  the  author. 
Example:  The  speaker  said  there  was  one  person  in  the  audience 
[Mr.  J.  H.  Thomas]  who  had  attended  every  annual  meeting  of  the 
convention  for  the  last  ten  years. 

NOTE. — Both  parentheses  and  brackets  are  now  seldom  used  in 
literary  composition  and  there  is  even  less  occasion  to  use  them  in  busi- 
ness composition. 

THE  APOSTROPHE 

1.  The  apostrophe  is  used  in  the  spelling  of  the  possessive  case  of 
nouns.  Example:  A  man's  time;  children's  clothing;  Burns'  or 
Burns's  poetry. 

2.  The  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate  the  omission  of  letters  in  the 
spelling  of  contractions  and  the  omission  of  figures  in  the  writing  of 
dates.    Example:    Can't,  doesn't;  '17,  '18,  etc. 

3.  The  apostrophe  is  used  in  spelling  the  plural  of  letters  and 
figures.  Example:  Cross  your  t's  and  dot  your  i's.  Make  one  row  of 
7's  and  two  rows  of  9's. 

EXERCISES  FOR  ORAL  AND  WRITTEN  PRACTICE 

The  following  are  extracts  taken  from  business  literature,  in- 
cluding circulars,  catalogs,  announcements,  advertisements,  etc.  The 
exercises  have  been  chosen  not  only  to  give  practice  in  punctuation,  but 


CAPITAL   LETTERS   AND   PUNCTUATION  199 

also,  at  the  same  time,  to  call  the  attention  of  the  student  to  the  genera* 
excellence  of  the  English  used.  Quotation  marks  have  been  omitted 
in  order  that  there  may  be  no  punctuation  marks  in  the  exercises. 

Supply  all  necessary  capital  letters  and  punctuation  marks,  accord 
ing  to  the  rules  given  in  this  chapter. 

1.  sitting  silently  at  the  deserts  edge  is  the  mystic  majestic  sphinx 
the  unsolved  riddle  of  all  time  guardian  of  the  giant  wonderful 
pyramids  which  remain  though  centuries  fade  away  by  moonlight  or 
starlight  or  in  the  unequaled  egyptian  sunsetglow  there  is  no  picture  on 
earth  more  imposing  and  impressive  than  these  unique  monuments  of 
the  hoary  past 

2.  libraries  are  rapidly  extending  their  sphere  of  usefulness  not 
only  by  distributing  literature  but  also  by  interesting  their  patrons  in 
art  science  and  research  through  the  media  of  photographs  illustra- 
tions from  current  magazines  art  publications  etc 

3.  there  is  just  one  best  and  simplest  way  to  do  anything  efficiency 
consists  in  doing  the  greatest  possible  number  of  tasks  that  way  the 
first  rule  of  kitchen  efficiency  is  to  have  all  supplies  at  hand  when  you 
begin  work  waste  in  most  kitchens  comes  chiefly  from  the  necessity  of 
making  many  trips  to  collect  goods  and  supplies  and  many  more  to  put 
them  away  the  result  is  countless  steps  most  of  which  are  avoidable 
and  much  waste 

4.  deposits  will  be  accepted  only  from  individuals  and  no  account 
will  be  opened  in  the  name  of  any  corporation  association  society  firm 
or  partnership  or  in  the  name  of  two  or  more  people  jointly  no  account 
will  be  opened  in  the  name  of  one  person  in  trust  for  or  on  behalf  of 
another  person  or  persons 

5.  a  player  piano  has  a  peculiar  sort  of  soul  which  responds  to 
cultivation  and  coaxing  it  is  not  so  dependent  upon  the  finger  dexterity 
of  the  man  or  woman  who  operates  it  as  a  piano  but  if  you  once  thor- 
oughly understand  its  mechanism  its  peculiarities  its  tricks  of  expres- 
sion you  will  be  able  to  give  expression  to  your  inborn  love  of  music 
and  you  will  find  a  strange  and  satisfying  fascination  in  drawing  true 
music  from  its  automatic  being 

6.  out  of  our  book  out  of  your  book  since  it  was  printed  for  your 
Information  will  step  a  procession  of  the  most  beautiful  sets  original 
inutTs  scarfs  luxurious  coats  all  the  rich  furs  you  have  longed  for  many 
too  which  ]m -limps  you  thought  were  too  expensive  are  here  and  you 
will  see  an*  quite  within  whatever  sum  you  wish  to  spend 


200  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

7.  to  let  south  side  of  east  front  six  room  double  modern  in  every 
respect  laundry  room  oak  finish  hardwood  floors  fireplace  with  gas  logs 
plate  rail  and  paneling  in  dining  room  electric  showers  nicely  decorated 
shades  screens  etc  rent  $25  2442  bellefontaine  street  the  southern  lum- 
ber co  818  k  of  p  building 

8.  factory  salesmen  experienced  calling  on  hardware  furniture  and 
department  store  trade  to  sell  aluminum  cooking  utensils  and  specialties 
salary  commission  and  exclusive  territory  to  high  grade  men  must  give 
experience  aluminum  products  co  lemont  ill 

9.  there  is  an  old  maxim  which  says  construct  first  and  decorate 
afterwards  this  advice  is  the  expression  of  a  fundamental  law  of  all 
artistic  creation  which  may  be  written  no  structure  can  be  beautiful 
unless  it  first  be  logically  and  sincerely  adapted  to  the  use  for  which 
it  is  designed 

10.  improved  parker  long  alarm  clock  with  shut  off  latch  in  dust 
proof  case  rings  2  minutes  with  use  of  the  shut  off  latch  the  alarm  re- 
quires but  one  winding  monthly  made  by  the  makers  of  the  celebrated 
parker  guns  has  the  simplest  construction  and  is  the  easiest  repaired 
clock  made  movement  can  be  removed  from  case  by  simply  pressing 
buttons  at  sides  an  accurate  time  piece  4^  in  dial  rotary  hammer 
alarm  which  cannot  get  out  of  order 

11.  special  dash  lamp  a  high  grade  dash  lamp  for  kerosene  or 
signal  oil  handsomely  finished  in  dead  black  no  brass  to  tarnish  or  keep 
clean  silvered  lining  with  large  red  bullseye  in  rear  3^x3%  in  plate 
glass  front  and  side  height  11  inches  no  better  dash  lamp  made 

12.  it  is  a  hopeful  sign  when  universities  are  opening  their  doors 
however  cautiously  to  those  seeking  knowledge  on  industrial  and  com- 
mercial affairs 


CHAPTER  XV 


TROUBLESOME  POINTS  IN  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR 


Introductory  Note.  Pupils  who  are  advanced  enough  to  take  com- 
mercial English  profitably,  should  have  had  considerable  instruction  in 
English  grammar  in  previous  courses.  If  that  is  not  the  case,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  supplement  the  work  with  a  thorough  drill  in  the  essen- 
tials, as  the  subject  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  business  correspond- 
ence. Bad  grammar  is  one  of  the  outstanding  marks  of  illiteracy  and 
should  be  overcome  at  any  cost  of  time  and  labor.  The  purpose  of  this 
chapter  is  to  call  to  the  attention  of  the  student  some  of  the  more  dif- 
ficult points  that  often  prove  troublesome  in  letter  writing  and  oral 
speech.     For  convenience,  they  are  classified  under  the  parts  of  speech. 


THE  NOUN 


The  Plural  of  Foreign  Nouns. 

Singular — 

alumna 

alumnus 

analysis 

appendix 

axis 

bacterium 

crisis 

datum 

ellipsis 

erratum 

focus 

formula 

fungus 

genu 

hypothesis 

memorandum 

minimum 

parenthesta 
phenomenon 

terminus 
thesis 

vertebra 


Plural — 

alumnae 

alumni 

analyses 

appendices  or  appendixes 

axes 

bacteria 

crises 

data 

ellipses 

errata 

foci 

formulae 

•fungi 

genera 

hypotheses 

memoranda 

minima 

oases 

parentheeet 

phenomena 

termlna 

then 

vertebrae 


?01 


202  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

The  Plural  of  Compound  Nouns.  The  important  part  of  a  com- 
pound noun,  whether  it  follows  or  precedes  the  descriptive  part,  takes 
the  plural  ending.  Example:  sons-in-law,  hangers-on,  step-ladders. 
[NOTE. — In  a  few  cases,  both  parts  take  the  plural  ending.  Example : 
men-servants,  women-waiters,  but  not  teeth-brushes  or  mice-traps.] 

The  Formation  of  the  Possessive  Case.  Most  nouns  form  the  pos- 
sessive case  by  adding  the  apostrophe  and  s.    Example:  man's,  boy's. 

Plural  nouns  ending  in  s,  form  the  possessive  by  adding  the  apos- 
trophe only.    Example:  boys',  lawyers'. 

Plural  nouns,  not  ending  in  s,  form  the  possessive  by  adding  the 
apostrophe  and  s.     Example:  men's,  children's. 

Singular  nouns  ending  in  s  are  now  commonly  formed  by  adding 
the  apostrophe  and  s,  although  older  usage  favored  the  apostrophe  only. 
Example:  Burns's,  James's. 

Some  singular  nouns  ending  in  s  and  used  in  set  phrases,  form  the 
possessive  by  adding  the  apostrophe  only.  Example:  for  goodness' 
sake. 

When  two  or  more  nouns  are  used  together  as  a  compound,  the 
last  noun  only  takes  the  sign  of  the  possessive.  Example:  Lee  & 
Perrin's  sauce;  Smith,  Remster,  Hornbrook,  and  Smith's  offices. 

If  two  or  more  nouns  are  used  together  as  a  compound  and  the 
idea  of  separate  ownership  is  intended,  the  possessive  form  of  each  is 
used.     Example:  John's  and  Mary's  books. 

When  a  possessive  noun  is  modified  by  a  phrase,  the  sign  of  the 
possessive  is  added  to  the  last  word  of  the  phrase.  Example :  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Kentucky's  proclamation,  the  Chief  of  the  Medical  Staff's  tent. 

The  occurrence  of  two  or  more  possessives  together  should  be 
avoided  by  the  use  of  prepositional  phrases.  Example:  the  wife  of 
John's  son,  rather  than  John's  son's  wife. 

Usage  favors  somebody  else's  rather  than  somebody's  else.  Simi- 
larly, everybody  else's  and  no  one  else's. 

In  general,  nouns  denoting  inanimate  objects  should  not  be  used  in 
the  possessive  case.  Example:  the  handles  of  the  basket,  rather  than 
the  basket's  handles. 

Possessive  Case  Before  the  Gerund.  The  possessive  and  not  the 
objective  case  should  be  used  before  the  gerund.  Example:  I  never 
thought  of  John's  doing  such  a  thing,  instead  of,  I  never  thought  of 
John  doing  such  a  thing.  Franklin's  "Autobiography"  tells  of  his 
flying  the  kite,  instead  of,  Franklin's  "Autobiography"  tells  of  him 
flying  the  kite. 


TROUBLESOME   POINTS   IN   GRAMMAR  203 

Nouns  Ending  in  s,  but  Singular  in  Meaning.  Some  nouns  end  in  s 
and  look  like  plurals,  but  they  are  singular  in  meaning  and  require  a 
singular  verb.  Example:  civics,  ethics,  mathematics,  calisthenics,  poli- 
tics, news,  molasses,  etc.  Civics  is  a  study  of  growing  importance.  The 
news  is  very  discouraging. 

Nouns  that  Are  Always  Plural.  Some  nouns  are  always  plural  and 
require  a  plural  verb.  Example:  ashes,  scissors,  clippers,  tweezers, 
riches,  breeches,  etc.    The  scissors  are  on  the  sewing  table. 

Nouns  in  Compound  Subject.  Two  or  more  nouns  when  used  to- 
gether in  a  compound  subject  are  plural  in  meaning  and  require  a 
plural  verb.  Example:  Florence  and  Helen  row  the  boat  Spring  and 
autumn  are  my  favorite  seasons. 

Nouns  with  "Either — or,"  and  "Neither— nor."  Nouns  used  with 
"either — or"  and  "neither — nor"  are  thought  of  singly  and  require  a 
singular  verb.  Example:  Either  money  or  clothing  is  acceptable  as  a 
contribution.    Neither  the  man  nor  his  son  has  been  here  this  morning. 

The  Number  of  Collective  Nouns.  Collective  nouns  are  singular  or 
plural  and  require  singular  or  plural  verbs,  according  as  they  convey 
the  impression  of  a  group  as  a  whole  or  of  individuals  in  the  group. 
Example:  The  committee  is  now  about  to  make  its  report.  The  com- 
mittee are  putting  their  feet  on  the  table. 

Use  of  Clause  for  a  Predicate  Noun.  An  adverbial  "when"  or 
"where"  clause  is  sometimes  incorrectly  used  for  a  predicate  noun, 
especially  in  definitions.  Example:  Repetition  is  where  the  same  word 
is  used  two  or  more  times  in  a  short  interval.  Corrected.  Repetition 
is  the  use  of  the  same  word  two  or  more  times  in  a  short  interval. 

THE  PRONOUN 

Restrictive  and  Non-restrictive  Relatives.  A  restrictive  relative 
clause  is  one  that  limits  the  antecedent  to  a  particular  kind  or  class.  A 
non-restrictive  relative  clause  does  not  limit  its  antecedent  to  a  particu- 
lar kind  or  class,  but  merely  gives  an  additional  quality  or  descriptive  de- 
tail and  may  be  omitted  without  destroying  the  sense  of  the  sentence. 
Example:  Restrictive — Bread  that  is  poorly  baked  is  not  fit  for  food. 
Note  that  if  the  clause  is  omitted,  the  remaining  statement,  "Bread  is 
not  fit  for  food,"  would  not  be  true.  Example :  Non-restrictive — Bread, 
which  is  "the  staff  of  life,"  is  to  be  found  on  every  American  table.  Note 
that  if  the  clause  is  omitted,  the  remaining  statement,  "Bread  is  to  be 
found  on  every  American  table,"  is  true.  Note,  also,  that  since  the  non- 
restrictive  clause  is  used  parenthetically  in  the  sentence,  it  is  set  off 
by  commas. 


304 


(  <>mmi:i;ci  \i. 


"That"  is  always  a  restrictive  relative  pronoun.  "Who"  and 
••which"  are  usually  non-restrictive  relatives,  but  they  may  be  used  M 
restrictive  when  the  use  of  "that"  would  cause  an  unpleasant  repetition 

of  the  "th"  sound.  F.xamplc:  The  young  man  who  makes  an  honest 
effort,  usually  succeeds. 

Interrogative  Pronouns.  Interrogative  pronouns  are  used  in  asking 
questions.  The  Interrogative  pronouns  are  "who."  "which,"  and 
"what."  "Who"  should  be  used  to  refer  to  persons  only.  "Which"  and 
"what"  may  be  used  to  refer  to  persons  or  things. 

Case  Forms  of  the  Relative  Pronoun. 

Xominat.ve —  Possessive—  Objective — 

who  whose  whom 

which  whose  which 

whoever  whomever 

whosoever  •  whosesoever  whomsoever 

Compound  Antecedents.  If  a  pronoun  has  two  or  more  antecedents 
connected  by  "and,"  the  pronoun  must  be  in  the  plural  number.  Ex- 
ample: James  and  Henry  left  their  books  on  the  window-sill. 

If  a  pronoun  has  two  or  more  singular  antecedents  connected  by 
"or"  or  "nor,"  the  pronoun  must  be  in  the  singular  number.  Example: 
Neither  time  nor  money  has  had  its  usual  opportunity  to  make  for  suc- 
cess.    Either  George  or  Henry  has  forgotten  his  cap. 

If  a  pronoun  has  two  or  more  antecedents  connected  by  "or"  or 
"nor"  and  one  of  them  is  plural,  the  pronoun  must  be  plural.  Example : 
Neither  Jones  nor  his  sons  have  paid  their  debts. 


THE  VERB 

Irregular 

Verbs. 

An 

irregular  \ 

•erh   is 

one  whose  past  tense 

l>a<t  participle 

do  not  end  in  "ed." 

Infinitive — 

Past  Tense — 

Past  Participle — 

abide 

abode 

abode 

arise 

arose 

arisen 

awake 

awoke,    awaked 

awaked 

he 

was 

been 

beat 

beat 

beaten 

begin 

began 

begun 

behold 

beheld 

beheld 

bend 

bent 

Lent 

beseech 

besought 

besought 

l>et 

bet 

bet 

and 


TROUBLESOME    POINTS    IN   GRAMMA  11 


205 


bid 

bind 

bite 

bleed 

blow 

break 

breed 

bring 

build 

burst 

buy 

east 

catch 

chide 

choose 

ding 

come 

creep 
cut 
deal 
dig 

dive 

do 

draw 

drawn 

dress 

drink 

drive 

dwell 

eat 

fall 

Brad 
Bra] 
fight 

find 

flee 

ding 

fly 

forbear 

forget 

fonakt 


bade 

bidden 

bound 

bound 

bit 

bitten 

bled 

bled 

blew 

blown 

broke 

broken 

bred 

bred 

brought 

brought 

built,  builded 

built,  builded 

burst 

burst 

bought 

bought 

cast 

cast- 

caught 

caught 

chid 

chidden 

chose 

chosen 

clung 

clung 

came 

come 

cost 

cost 

crept 

crept 

cut 

cut 

dealt 

dealt 

dug 

dug,  digged 

dived,  dove 

dived 

did 

done 

draw 

drawn 

dreamed,    dreamt 

dreamed,  dreamt 

dressed,  drest 

dressed,  drest 

drank 

drunk 

dmvc 

driven 

dwelt,  dwelled 

dwelt,  dwelled 

ate 

eaten 

fell 

fallen 

fed 

fed 

felt 

felt 

fought 

fought 

found 

found 

fled 

fled 

Bung 

flung 

flew 

Sown 

forbore 

forborne 

forgot 

forgotten 

forsook 

forsaken 

froze 

frozen 

206 


COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 


get 

got 

got,  gotten 

give 

gave 

given 

go 

went 

gone 

grind 

ground 

ground 

grow 

grew 

grown 

hang 

hung 

hung 

hang   (to  execute) 

hanged 

hanged 

have 

had 

had 

hear 

heard 

heard 

hew 

hewed 

hewn 

hide 

hid 

hidden 

hit 

hit 

hit 

hold 

held 

held 

hurt 

hurt 

hurt 

keep 

kept 

kept 

kneel 

knelt,  kneeled 

knelt,  kneeled 

knit 

knit,  knitted 

knit,  knitted 

know 

knew 

known 

lay 

laid 

laid 

lead 

led 

led 

leave 

left 

left 

lend 

lent 

lent 

let 

let 

let 

lie 

lay 

lain 

light  (to  illumine) 

lighted 

lighted 

lose 

lost 

lost 

make 

made 

made 

meet 

met 

met 

pay 

paid 

paid 

read 

read 

read 

ride 

rode 

ridden 

ring 

rang 

rung 

rise 

rose 

risen 

run 

ran 

run 

say 

said 

said 

see 

saw 

seen 

seek 

sought 

sought 

sell 

sold 

sold 

send 

sent 

sent 

set 

set 

set 

shake 

shook 

shaken 

shine 

shone 

shone 

show 

showed 

shown 

TROUBLESOME   POINTS   IN   GRAMMAR 


207 


shut  shut  shut 

sing  sang  sung 

sit  sat  sat 

speak  spoke  spoken 

spend  spent  spent 

spring  sprang  sprung 

stand  stood  stood 

steal  stole  stolen 

stick  stuck  stuck 

sting  stung  stung 

strike  struck  struck 

strive  strove  striven 

swear  swore  sworn 

swim  swam  swum 

swing  swung  swung 

take  took  taken 

teach  taught  taught 

tear  tore  torn 

tell  told  told 

think  thought  thought 

throw  threw  thrown 

thrust  thrust  thrust 

wake  woke,  waked  woke,  waked 

wear  wore  worn 

weep  wept  wept 

wet  wet  wet 

win  won  won 

wind  wound  wound 

wring  wrung  wrung 

write  wrote  written 

Number  Forms  of  Verbs.  One  of  the  most  frequent  of  grammatical 
errors  \»  the  use  of  the  wrong  number  form  of  the  verb.  There  are 
several  different  cases,  as  follows: 

1.  The  verb  should  not  be  made  to  agree  with  the  object  of  a  prep- 
osition n«'\t  to  which  it  stands,  rather  than  with  the  real  subject.  Ex- 
ample: Inrorrect — A  row  of  tiers  were  planted  by  the  side  of  the  road. 
Correct     A  row  of  tree*  wai  planted  by  the  side  of  the  road. 

l*.  The  verb  should  not  bo  made  to  agree  with  a  noun  in  a  paren- 
tin-ti.;ii  expression,  next  to  which  11  stands,  rather  than  with  the  real 
uhject  Bxample:  Incorrect—The  Governor,  with  his  Mends,  ware 
•sated  in  i  i»<.\.    Correct— The  Governor,  with  his  friends,  was  seated 

in  a  I 


°08  <  <>\i  HERO]  \l.    ENGLISH 

:*..  Two  or  more  subjects  connected  by  "and"  require  a  plural  verb. 
Example:  Batter  ;in<i  eggs  arc  higher. 

4.  When  two  or  more  singular  nouns,  used  as  the  subject,  arc  pic 
ceded  by  "each,"  "every,"  or  "no,"  they  require  a  singular  verb.     EDl 

.ample:  Each  man,  woman,  and  child  was  given  a  souvenir  button. 
Every  morning,  noon,  and  night  finds  him  in  the  same  dingy,  little 
restaurant. 

5.  When  two  singular  nouns  are  connected  by  "either — or"  or 
"neither — nor,"  the  verb  should  be  singular.  Example:  Either  a  boot 
or  a  calendar  is  always  a  welcome  gift.  If  the  second  noun  is  plural. 
the  verb  should  be  plural.  Example :  Neither  my  father  nor  my 
brothers  have  had  the  advantages  of  a  college  education. 

6.  A  verb  that  is  used  with  a  collective  noun  should  be  singular 
or  plural,  according  as  the  noun  is  thought  of  in  a  singular  or  plural 
sense.  Example:  The  herd  of  cattle  was  rounded  up  in  front  of  the 
stock-yards.  The  herd  of  cattle  were  scattered  hither  and  yon  by  the 
screech  of  a  passing  locomotive. 

Shall  and  Will.  In  a  declarative  sentence,  "shall"  is  used  in  the 
first  person  and  "will"  in  the  second  and  third,  to  express  simple,  future 
intention.  "Will"  is  used  in  the  first  person  and  "shall"  in  the  second 
and  third,  to  express  determination. 

Simple,  Future  Intention : 

Singular—  Plural— 

I  shall  we  shall 

you  will  you  will 

he  will  they  will 

Determination : 

I  will  we  will 

you  shall  you  shall 

he  shall  they  shall 

"Will"  is  used  in  the  first  person  to  express  a  promise.  Example: 
We  will  be  sure  to  meet  you  at  the  train. 

"Will"  is  used  in  the  second  and  third  person  to  express  a  polite 
command.    Example:  Will  you  please  be  seated? 

Shall  and  Will  in  Direct  Questions.     "Shall"  and   "will"  arc  osed 
in  direct  questions  according  as  the  idea  expected  in  the  answer  is  in 
tuition  or  determination.    Example:  intention    shall  yon  go  this  even- 
Ans.    i  shall.    Determination-   Will  you  go  this  evening?    a 

will. 


TROUBLESOME    POINTS    IN    GRAMMAR  209 

Shall  and   Will   in   Indirect   Questions   or   Statements.    The  same 

form  of  ••shall"  or  "will"  is  used  in  an  Indirect  question  or  statement  as 
would  be  Baed  in  the  direct  form. 

Direct — I  shall  take  the  midnight  train  for  Chicago. 

Indirect — He  says  he  shall  take  the  midnight  train  for  Chicago. 

Direct — That  hoy  shall  learn  that  loafing  will  not  he  tolerated  in 
this   school. 

Indirect— The  teacher  said  that  the  hoy  shall  learn  that  loafing  will 

n«»t  i»e  tolerated  in  this  school. 

Should  and  Would.     "Should"  and  "would"  are  the  past  tense  forms 
hall"  and  "will"  and  follow  the  same  general  rules. 

May  and  Can.  "May"  expresses  i>ermission.  "Can"  expresses  abil- 
ity. Example:  Mary's  mother  says  she  may  go  to  the  library  to  see  if 
she  can  find  a  hook  that  will  give  her  some  suggestions  for  her  birth- 
day party. 

Split  Infinitive.  A  "split  infinitive"  is  one  in  which  there  has  been 
Inserted  an  adverbial  modifier.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  avoid  it. 
but  it  should  be  used  only  when  unavoidable.  Example:  To  completely 
remodel  the  house  will  require  an  exi>en<liture  of  about  two  thousand 
dollars.  Correct — To  remodel  the  house  completely,  will  require  an 
expenditure  of  about   two  thousand  dollars. 

Sequence  of  Infinitive  Tenses.  The  following  rules  may  help  to 
make  clear  what  is  to  some  a  rather  difficult  point  in  English  grammar: 

1.  Use  the  present  infinitive  if  the  time  indicated  by  the  infinitive 
is  the  same  or  later  than  that  indicated  by  the  predicate  verb.  Exam- 
ple: Encorreef — I  wished  very  much  to  have  seen  your  father.  Cor- 
red     i  wished  very  much  to  sec  your  father. 

2.  Use  the  perfect  Infinitive  if  the  time  indicated  by  the  infinitive 
i-  prior  to  that  indicated  by  the  predicate  verb.  Example:  I  remember 
to  have  seen   him. 

Possessive  Case  With  the  deniml.  The  gerund  differs  from  the 
participle  in  use  rather  than  form.  The  participle  is  used  adjectively, 
while  the  gerund  is  used  substantively.  Example:  Participle — The  boy 
looking  out  of  tin-  window  will  not  have  his  lesson.  Gerund  —  I  never 
Bond  of  looking  out  of  the  window.  The  possessive  and  not 
the  objective  ease  should  be  used  before  the  gerund.  Example:  In- 
correct I  never  knew  of  him  failing  to  keep  an  appointment.  Correct 
I   never  knew  of  hi-  tailing  to  keep  an  appointment 


210  COMMERCIAL   ENGLISH 

Ungramniatical  Participial  Phrase.  An  "ungrammatical  parti- 
cipial phrase"  is  one  that  does  not  modify  any  noun  or  pronoun  in  the 
sentence.  Example:  Incorrect — Coming  home  from  the  party  last 
night,  a  large  house  was  burning  to  the  ground.  Correct — Coming 
home  from  the  party  last  night,  we  saw  a  large  house  burning  to  the 
ground. 

The  English  Subjunctive.  The  subjunctive  is  used  to  express  un- 
certainty or  a  condition  contrary  to  fact.  Example:  If  James  were  a 
little  older,  he  could  go  to  school  alone.  If  there  were  forty  hours  in 
the  day,  some  people  would  find  their  work  undone  at  nightfall. 

ADJECTIVES,  ADVERBS,  PREPOSITIONS,  AND  CONJUNCTIONS 

Confusion  of  Adjectives  and  Adverbs.  Care  must  be  exercised  to 
use  adverbs  when  manner  is  implied,  and  adjectives  when  state,  con- 
dition, or  appearance  is  implied.  The  flower  smells  sweetly,  is  incor- 
rect because  it  must  imply  that  the  manner  in  which  the  flower  smells 
is  sweet,  whereas  the  flower  is  incapable  of  the  act  of  smelling.  The 
thought  intended  is  that  the  flower  seems  sweet  to  the  person  who  is 
smelling  it.  Therefore,  we  should  say,  The  flower  smells  sweet.  Simi- 
larly, the  flour  looks  white,  and  not  whitely. 

Adjectives  and  Adverbs  the  Same  in  Form.  There  are  a  few 
adverbs  that  do  not  end  in  "ly"  but  have  the  same  form  as  the  corre- 
sponding adjectives.  Example:  The  bloodhounds  ran  straight  to 
the  cave  where  the  murderer  was  hiding.  He  works  hard  for  every  bit 
of  success  he  achieves. 

Double  Negatives.  Great  care  should  be  exercised  to  avoid  such 
double  negatives  as  the  following: 

I  hadn't  hardly  time  to  get  a  bite  to  eat  before  the  train  started. 

He  was  so  hoarse  that  he  couldn't  scarcely  speak  above  a  whisper. 

Like  and  As.  "Like"  is  a  preposition  and  should  be  used  with  a 
noun  or  pronoun  and  not  to  introduce  a  clause. 

Incorrect — He  talks  just  like  he  used  to  when  we  were  boys 
together. 

Correct — He  talks  just  as  he  used  to  when  we  were  boys  together. 

Incorrect — It  looks  like  it  will  rain. 

Correct — It  looks  as  if  it  will  rain. 


INDEX 


Abbreviations : 

academic     and     honorary     de- 
grees, 173 

capitalization,  168 

general  business,  170-173 

months  of  the  year,  170 

plural  of,  169 

states  of  U.  S.,  169,  170 

use  of  in  business  letters,  167 
Accounts,    letters    pertaining    to 

the  settlement  of,  64-73 
Action,  in  advertising,  145 
Adjectives  and  adverbs: 

confusion  of,  210 

the  same  in  form,  210 
Advertisement,  model,  146 
Advertising : 

classified,  156 

elementary,  129-164 

how  measured,  134 

how  much  space  to  buy,  135 

mediums,  132 

what  is,  131 
Announcement : 

letters  of,  80-81 

model  letter  of,  81 
Antecedents,  compound,  204 
Apostrophe,  198 
Application : 

letters  of,  95-105 

model  letter  of,  101 
Attention,  in  advertising,  137 

B 

Balance,  in  advertising,  147-150 
Batten  formula,  the,  137 
Black  and  white,  in  advertising, 
153 


(Numbers  refer  to  pages) 

Blackmailing,  69 

Body,  of  business  letter,  12 

Brackets,  use  of,  198 


Cable  code,  travelers',  121 
Cablegrams,  120 
Capital  letters,  use  of,  192 
Carbon  copy,  125 
Cards : 

business,  155 

street  car,  157 
Catalogs,  ordering  from,  56 
Circular  letters,  74-94 
Code  words: 

cable,  120 

in  telegrams,  122 
Coherence,  8 
Collection  agency,  67 
Colon,  use  of,  196-197 
Comma,  use  of,  194-195 
Commercial  English,  defined,  1,5 
Completeness,  13 
Complimentary  close,  the,  27 
Conclusion,  12 
Confirming     telegrams,      letters, 

122 
Consideration,  favorable,  142 
Contracts,  business,  58-59 
Correctness,  2,  14 
Correspondence,  how  handled  in 

the  business  oflice,  124-128 
Courtesy,  12 


Dash,  use  of,  197-198 

Day  letters,  120 

Description,  in  advertising,  143 


211 


2 1 2 


I  nM  MERC]  M.    ENGLISH 


Display,  continuous,   in  advertis- 
ing, lfiO-l&l 


Emphasis,  9 

Enclosures,  how  to  make.  86-87 
Enclosures,  indicating,.  128 
Envelope,  addressing  the,  30-33 
Essentials    of    commercial    Eng- 
lish, 1-15 
Exactness,  13 

Exclamation  point,  use  of,  194 
Extortion,  69 


Filing,  letter,  126-128 

Fold,  how  to  fold  business  letter, 

33-36 
Follow  up  letters : 

discussion,  77-80 

model,  79 
Form,  of  business  letter,  11,  16- 

30 
Form  letter: 

discussion,  75-77 

model,  76 
Form,  tabular,  56 

G 

Gerund,  possessive  ease  with  the, 

202,  209 
Grammar,  troublesome  points  in 

English,  201-210 

H 
Heading,  the,  of  the  business  let- 
ter, 26 
Heads,  letter,  17,  157 


Illustrations,    in    advertising,   150 
Inquiry,  letters  of,  40-50 
Introduction,  the,  of  the  business 
letter,  27 


introduction,  letters  of: 
discussion.   110-116 
model,  111,  112 

L 

Lawyer,  use  of,  in  collecting  ac- 
counts, 68 
Letter  beads.   IT.  157 
"Like"   and   "as,"  210 
Literary  English,  5 

M 

Magazines,  subscriptions  for,  57 
•May"  and  "can,"  209 
Money,  enclosing,  54 
Moral  character,  letters  on,  40 

N 

Negatives,    double,   210 

Night  letter,  119 

Night  message,  119 

Notification,  letters  of: 
discussion,  80-81 
model,  81 

Nouns : 

compound,   plural   of.  202 
ending  in  "s,"  but  singular.  203 
foreign,  plural   of,   201 
in   compound   subject.  206 
that  are  always  plural,  203 
the  number  of  collective,  203 
use  of  clause  for  a  "predicate," 

203 
with  "either — or,"  and 
"neither— nor,"  208 

O 

Order,  acknowledging  an.  57 
Ordering  goods,    letters: 
discussion,  51-63 

model.   55 

P 

Parentheses,  use  of,  198 
Participial   phrase,   nngrammati- 

(•Ml.   210 


INDEX 


213 


Payment,  terms  of,  54 
Period,  use  of  the,  193 
Pictures,  in  advertising,  150 
Possessive  ease: 

before  the  gerund,  202 

the  formation  of.  202 
postal  cards,  the  misuse  of,  69 
Press  copy,  124,  125 
Pronoun : 

interrogative.  204 

the.   203,  204 
Protective  association,  65-67 
Punctuation,    use    of    marks    of, 
193-198 

Q 

Question  mark,  use  of  the,  193 
Quotation  marks,  use  of,  197 


Ht.  onimendation,  letters  of: 

discussion,  106-108 

model,   107 
Relative  pronouns,  case  fprnis  of, 

LM>4 

Relatives,    restrictive    and    non- 

rostri.tivr.  203 
Repeated  messages,  119 


Sales  letters: 

discussion.  8242 

model,   86-90 
Salutation,   the,   of  the  business 

letter,  27 
Semicolon,  dm  of,  195,  196 
s« mi  social  form  of  letter,  114 

"Shall"  and  "will,"  208,  209 

Shipping  directions,  53     ' 


Sight  draft,  69 
Signature,  the,  28-30 
Spelling: 

selected  word  list,  185-188 

simple  rules,  184,  185 
Split  infinitive,  209 
Stamp  for  reply.  41 
Stationery,  business,  16 
Statute  of  limitations,  70 
Stock  letter,  the: 

discussion  of,  75-77 

model,  76 
stoppage  in  transitu,  60 
Structure,  of  the  business  letter, 

11 
Subjunctive,  the  English,  210 

T 

Telegrams  and   cablegrams,   117- 

123 
Tenses,  sequence  of  infinitive,  209 
Topography,  in  advertising,  153 
Truth,  in  advertising,  142 
Type,  size  and  style  of,  in  adver- 
tising, 153-155 


I 


Unity.  7 


Verb : 
irregular.  204-207 
number  forms  of,  207 
the,  204-210 

W 

White  space,  in  advertising,  153 

Word  division,  188-191 

Words,  frequently  misused  be- 
cause of  a  confusion  of  their 
meaning,  174-184 


Yb  SS1d.i 


